From the Ashes: The Burning
by KillerKlown12
Summary: Heavy AU, this will follow the journey of Ozpin, Cinder, Cardin, and many other characters in the collab fic with Arieko. The author's note will further explain this. Follow the burning of the world as Phoenix Regiment desperately tries to survive the Second Human-Faunus war. Crossover fic with 'Rise of a Dragon'; RWBY will face obstacles that are only fully explained here.
1. Preparations

**READ AUTHORS NOTE. IMPORTANT INFORMATION.**

**As mentioned in the summary, this is a collaboration fic of sorts with Arieko. Only it's more complicated than that. These are two independent yet intertwined stories that take place in the same verse. His story will focus on Yang, Ruby, and some other key characters from the start. Mine will detail other characters of the cast and this AU verse we are building. **

**The timelines are combined, events that take place in this fic also take place in his, and vise-versa. They may or may not always be mentioned, but they DO happen, and there will be major character crossover. We have yet to determine how exactly meetings will take place, but they will happen. **

**In order to get the full story you need to read both mine and his, otherwise you're only getting the perspective of one 'person'.  
**

**Link on my profile. **

* * *

From the Ashes: The Burning

_"Once you had the power to effect monumental change, would you let fear consume?_

_Or would you overcome?" -Starset, First Light _

_August 5th, 2114_

The room was tense, almost as tense as it had been decades ago when the first Human-Faunus war broke out. Deep inside the capital building, a meeting was occurring in a beyond secret room. It was all metal, with only the chairs being soft and tolerable.

This room was designed for security, protection. Here comfort was last on the list of priorities. The center of the cold metal room was filled with a table, one that was filled with the most influential people in the entire United Human Front.

On one side sat the President, his green eyes boring into those of his colleges on the other side of this infamous table. His father had been president, and his father before that. William Habsburg had quite the legacy to live up to, and his attire showed as much.

Dressed in a genetic black suit and pants, the tie he worn was red and his hair was short, almost military length. Spine straight, eyes scanning, he took note of those before him and how they would likely vote on this proposition.

On the far right sat Robin Winchester, the supplier of everything military for his nation. His family held massive amounts of power within the military, and his son was currently on his way to being promoted to Sergeant in the famous Phoenix Regiment.

He would be voting yes, he was sure of it.

To the Winchester's left sat Supreme General Port, his normally cheery disposition gone and replaced with morbid anxiety. Port was a man of honor, he had served his father diligently and loyally, but despised war with those he considered to be human. This included faunus.

He would be voting no, even with Winchester here Port would not buckle to the political pressure.

Beside Port sat a good friend of the commander, Oobleck, the current head of the Humanitarian Party Parliament. The party had a near monopoly on the voter base in the country due to the man's amazing political ability and common sense. His green hair also attracted the hipster vote.

That being said, he was a history buff, and most historians saw the first Human-Faunus war as a major mistake. He would likely vote no, but may still be convinced otherwise.

So far its 1 yay and 2 nay, this was looking favorable for his own personal goal of a peaceful legacy filled with technological advance and economic boom. His son or daughter could go to war, he did not want his name being on this declaration of war.

However, as President, he had the obligation to listen to his constituents. These were the people who got him into office, as such he owed them more than the voters. A sad truth of politics, but a very obvious one.

Besides, the masses didn't have the intelligence or logical facilities needed to make this decision. The people assembled before him had those two things in spades.

To the left of the majority leader sat a man his family both feared and admired. Ozpin, simple first name, but not even he knew the man's last name. Nobody did.

Ozpin was the head of Research and Development, as well as agriculture and a few more minor stations. He would remove the scientist had he the ability to do so, but as it stood the grey-haired man was here to stay. He had connections, connections that could bring even him down for the count.

Ozpin's political power aside, he had insisted that his assistant Cinder Fall also be present for this meeting. She didn't get a vote, he ensured that much, but her presence alone spoke volumes on how much power this man wielded.

His vote could very-well sway undecided ones to his side, the worst part was that he knew nothing of Ozpin's agenda when it came to war with the faunus.

A wild card. Habsburg's hate wild cards.

Skimming over the very attractive and youthful figure of Cinder, his green eyes met ice as he settled on the Schnee couple. They never made decisions without the other, and were always a duo in political meetings.

Alexander Schnee and his wife Althaia were two of the most powerful people in the UHF. Their dynasty had a monopoly on everything medical, with them expanding deep into the mining business. With the Faunus nation of Empousai refusing to deal with humans in any capacity, the resources of the other race on Remnant were off limits to them.

He had the sinking suspicion that they would vote yes. Damn Schnee, so driven to be the best.

Moving on.

Next was the famous Nikos dynasty representative. Their trademark fire red hair made them appear to be great warriors, nothing could be farther from the truth. Their legacy was built upon crafty diplomacy and fair dealings, the Nikos families also had an uncanny ability to administrate or lead.

This lead to the Winchester and Nikos families having a feud of sorts, with the Schnee family allying with the Nikos dynasty due to their noncompetitive nature and lack of economic ambition. Last he heard the two family's heirs were good childhood friends, but this vote may shatter the sensitive alliance.

The Nikos family was one of the few human dynasties allowed to talk with the faunus nation and business leaders. This made them allies of the race in matters such as this, and a Nikos never betrays their allies, even if it may mean their demise.

However, if the war was approved, they would have to go to war. They had sworn allegiance to this union of humanity long ago, and that ancient pledge was considered to be the Holy Grail in Nikos family teaching.

Athena Nikos would vote no, and would not be moved.

Finally, his gaze drifted to the oddball of this meeting. Roman Torchwick.

Roman Torchwick is officially considered to be one of the most wanted criminals on the planet. His operations cross racial and bureaucratic lines, he had been found by his country's authorities not long ago. The Habsburg's always knew where to look, but the people of this county need an internal enemy to fear. Otherwise his family could lose elections.

Fear is a great tool if controlled. However, his family could no longer curb the fear of the people when it came to the faunus race. Many were clamoring for war, a war to end all wars, a war of extinction.

A war for genocide.

Roman was brought here for one reason and one reason only; he had more intelligence on the faunus than anyone, including Ozpin, did. He knew of their tech levels, security exploits, military organization, economic strongholds; everything a war effort needed.

He would also be a useful ally in making civil dissent in the faunus nation. Of course, authorities at home would start turning a blind eye, but the gains more than made up for the losses.

He didn't get an official vote, he was here to supply those with votes with the information they needed to make a logical assessment.

Overall, it didn't look too good. Two yays from Schnee and Winchester, 2 nays from Port and Nikos, and two unknowns from Ozpin and Oobleck. The last thing the President wanted was a war waged for the genocide of an entire race.

However, his opinions were the last thing on anyone's minds here. It was time he get this meeting started. Clearing his throat, the President of the UHF began the meeting that would forever change the world.

"I'm sure you all know why we're here. We will be skipping the pleasantries, we need to discuss the possibility of another Human-Faunus war."

Nobody was shocked, everyone saw this coming.

"With this in mind, the voting format will go as such. First, Roman Torchwick will present us with his knowledge of Empousai, followed by any questions you may have. After this, you will vote one by one and give a reason for your vote. Any objections?"

None objected, but Nikos looked really uncomfortable.

"Roman, you may proceed."

"As you wish, my master."

Oh, he was going to kill that scumbag of a man once this was through.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, first I would like to thank you for gracing me with your presence. Secondly, I woul-"

"Roman! Get on with it!"

"Guh. Fine, no fun, this one."

Fiddling with his scroll, Roman activated the hologram projectors and allowed his presentation to play. His most trusted staff had seen it and approved of it, so there wasn't anything to worry about.

"Getting serious here, I'm surprised you guys haven't noticed the rapid increase in productivity."

His point was accentuated by graphs appearing before them, and if they were to be taken seriously did not bode well. Their industrial sector was booming, and the productivity curve was reaching its height.

"This is due to rapid advances in technology, as well as a massive increase in military might. Someone's gatta buy all the shit they make. I don't have exact number, but I would guess that their entire military ranges between 400-600 thousand in total manpower. I can't begin to speculate on the skill of the military."

What the hell were they preparing for? Not more than a few years ago their military had only 200,000 men and women. This massive buildup was a warning sign, a sign that they were preparing for war. How had his intelligence officers missed this?

"New armor with better weapons...improved small arms. Yea, they are basically ramping up the production of everything, especially in the military sector."

More holograms of the aforementioned items, but all William could feel was fear; fear filled his belly and heart. Fear for his family, fear for his people, fear for his race. He was convinced; these faunus needed to be brought down, and they needed to be brought down now.

Humanity and Faunus could no longer live side by side, one needed to rise while the other fell.

"They are also dipping their toes into genetic research to further improve their already superior strength and senses. Now, you may be wondering how I know all this, and as your trusted presenter I can say that running a criminal empire requires some powerful allies. I'm sure you know what I mean."

Some profiles of Faunus leaders came up, all of them apparently in Roman's pocket. Most were in the police force, but a few were higher ups in the research division as well as the bureaucracy of Empousai. If these people really were in his pocket, then it's easy to see how Roman knew these things.

Assuming he was telling the truth; but they had no choice but to assume so. He was the only eyes and ears in Empousai that could be even remotely trusted.

"Really, I'm just going to transfer other crucial info to your scrolls. If I tried to present everything here we would be here for an insane amount of time. Now, raise your hands and wait until you're called on for questions."

"Do you think war is the only option?" Nikos instantly asked the criminal his opinion on the matter, completely disregarding the 'raise your hands' tangent. This may prove to be interesting.

"Ah, the question we're all here to answer. Honestly, whether there is a war or not, my existence will continue, and my operations will always exist. I don't have a vested interest going either way. That being said, I don't think an all out war is the BEST option, but I don't think they're giving you much of a choice."

"So you think this build-up is for war?" Nikos really didn't want to get a yes, but Roman's sudden change in demur at the question told the Hapsburg all he needed to know.

"I don't see any other reasons for the sudden ramping up of the military-industrial complex, nor do I see any other legitimate explanation pertaining to the genetic research and weapons improvement. Whether or not you want war, Mrs. Nikos, it's coming, you best prepare."

Well, that was unexpected.

"Now, any other questions? Or can I bail?"

"You think we should attack or defend?" And so the Winchester finally asked a question and revealed his vote in the same stride. Either he wasn't too intelligent or didn't care others now know of his intentions.

"The longer you wait, the more they can build up. That's all I can say, you have a military mastermind here, don't ask me those kinds of questions. Anything else?"

"Do you happen to have any of the research files? We would love to have a look at them." Ozpin's cool yet charismatic voice carried through the chamber, Roman just shook his head negative. Apparently there was some kind of tension between the two.

No one else had a question to ask, they were just going through their scrolls to review all the information. Time for Roman to go. Hitting a button under the desk, two guards were summoned inside. They weren't in the suit and sun-glasses getup. These soldiers were in full combat gear.

"Please escort Roman out of the building and to where we originally picked him up at."

A salute was all he received in return, and then Roman was gone and the room was plunged into a tense silence. He would give the parties here a few minutes to collect their thoughts and information, then they could vote and possibly debate about it.

The minuets felt like hours, and the President solidified his own opinion. War was the only option; negotiation was impossible, and the military buildup could not be ignored. The fears of the general population had been correct, the faunus were plotting their destruction.

It was time to end this.

"Winchester, you will vote first, followed by those to the left of you. Keep it brief and to the point."

"I vote for war, we must be the first to strike hard and fast, otherwise they will be the ones to surprise us. It's obvious what they intend to do, it's time we show them who's boss."

The room shifted its attention to the Supreme General, who looked extremely conflicted. After a short silence, he spoke.

"I...I don't think war is ever the answer, but we need to increase our own production if we are to match the faunus. We can't afford to trust them, if they break through our defenses no one will be safe. We-I-I vote yes."

That was surprising, and Nikos gasped at this sudden change of position. But, Oobleck now had the floor, it was time to see what the parliament leader thought.

"I will have to agree with Commander Port, as much as I believe war to be a mistake, we can't afford to be the ones caught off guard. Seeing as this vote is a simple yes and no, I will have to reluctantly vote yes."

War was guaranteed at this point, this was now a formality.

"I don't think I need to explain anything, we at R&amp;D support this aggressive action."

The battle was joined, Nikos was now alone. Schnee was about to vote yes before Athena interrupted.

"You people are unbelievable, are you really going to take his word as fact?"

Winchester rose to her challenge in a second.

"What if he is right? What if we don't prepare and they come crashing into our homes? We can't afford to be caught unprepared! We need to be ready, and we need to make the first strike!"

"Coward, you let fear rule your heart. You all allow fear to control you, this is a black stain on all of us if you decide to do this. Schnee, you can't really start a war just for resources!"

The Schnee couple looked at each other, and it looked like a conversation went between the two in seconds. As if connected the two faced their ally at the same time and Alexander spoke for the both of them.

"This is no longer about our business, this is about our daughter and survival. Call us cowards all you want, but we will not gamble with our family's well being. The Schnee dynasty will support you, Mr. Hapsburg, in this war effort."

"Alexander! You can't do this!"

"We have no choice! Do you truly want to risk seeing your daughter die? We will not gamble with Weiss' life!"

"Instead you would rally for the killing of an entire species?! Have you gone mad?! This isn't just a war, this is going to be a war to end all wars!"

The two Schnee glance at each other once more, Althaia nodded and Alexander closed his eyes in resignation as he spoke his final words on the matter.

"We would rather see humanity be the only ones alive with our daughter safe than have the constant threat of annihilation hovering over us. We're sorry, Athena, but you can't change our minds."

"Fine, you all know our stance on this horrid idea, but we are nothing if not a family of integrity. You have our support should you decide to do this."

Almost unanimous. This was...unexpected to say the least. But, he knew what needed to be done, the faunus fired the first shot when they began to ramp up their military.

War was coming, and humanity was going to come out on top.

* * *

The following months proved to be interesting; the United Human Front began to pump everything it had into making more industrial goods and ramping up the production of military good. The human war machine was sparked into existence and its fires would not be extinguished.

Tanks, artillery, small arms, planes, harrier jets, infantry trucks; everything was being built in bulk as volunteers and conscripted alike joined the ranks of the military for immediate rigorous training. War fever swept the nation as more and more people began to believe in the morality of their actions.

Everyone was doing their part; the Schnee mines were continually supplying more and more metals to the Winchester factories. The stockpile of medicine continued to build and medics were given more powerful but still experimental painkillers and disinfectants.

One of these things was called dust, and it was invented by Ozpin's medical research division. Ozpin did more than his fair share, experimental weapons were designed, tested, and approved in blinding speed. The Airship was conceived and born, as were advanced suits of armor capable of drastically improving one's combat ability. These were expensive to build and maintain, so only a few airships were built with only a few hundred suits being declared combat ready.

The Winchester's military-industrial complex couldn't be more efficient in its production of military hardware. Massive amounts of military and civilian goods alike came pouring from the furnaces of the Winchester's war machine. They built their empire on war, they reveled in this.

Even the Nikos dynasty pulled their weight, convincing other reluctant families to put their resources into the many state and private projects. The three big names weren't the only nobles in the UHF, and the full backing of nearly every wealthy family proved to be priceless.

General Port made battle plans, with Ozpin giving him constant updates on the 'Resurrection' Project; a project aimed at being able to drop an automated army anywhere in the world and have it combat ready. The rise of the animatrons was at hand, with Ozpin leading the charge. This lead to an interesting battlefront.

The two species had been separated by a mile wide demilitarized zone since the end of the fist Human-Faunus war. It spanned the entire length of the border and was heavily fortified on both sides. Hiding troop buildup is near impossible, masking armor and artillery as non-combat vehicles is impossible, but assembling an army there isn't.

Boxes full of parts for automated soldiers poured to the front line under the veil of food and other military hardware. Engineers of all trades and types united to build the robots; airships masked as clouds would control the army from above on the day of combat, the things were radar shielded.

Roman played his part well, reports of high crime rates and borderline riots reached the ears of the United Human government, the faunus of Empousai were unhappy and ready for a change in administration. This meant there wasn't nearly as big a volunteer reserve as there should have been, the pieces were all falling into place.

In the final two months before the day of attack, Oobleck put his political genius to work. All politicians who secretly or openly opposed war were relieved of their posts. For the first time in human history all of Parliament was united for one goal, one purpose.

Devastating anti-faunus ads and propaganda swept the nation as media all across the land continued to hype up the faunus threat. The president himself came to the rallying call for war in the last days before the conflict.

A speech was given the day before the war was to be declared, if there were any left who doubted the need for this war none remained after the President, with the entire UHF Parliament and Judicial Branch behind him, stated his support for a punitive action against the faunus. Their blocking of economic progress was to be destroyed.

Their unjust claims on land were to be torn from them.

Their culture was too dangerous, they needed to be assimilated or exiled.

Their military was growing too fast, it needed to be decimated.

They were a threat, and threats need to be eliminated.

On the day of declaration, the beginning of Operation Resurgence, which was September 23rd 2115, the entire world was waiting for the war to end all wars to begin.

The world was set to burn.


	2. Execution

**Time to reveal my secret weapon.**

**Lets get this shit started. When the combat starts listen to this on repeat, you will like it 100 times more. Most Wonderous OSTs Ever: Exorcist. I'm serious, go put it in Youtube right now and start it once we get the the combat section of this chapter. Seriously, I know EVERYONE has music suggestions, but you won't be disappointed.**

**Reviews are highly wanted and appreciated. **

**Enough rambling. Let's start this war off with a bang. **

* * *

From the Ashes: The Burning

_"I'm on the front line,_

_Don't worry I'll be fine!_

_The story is just beginning!_

_I say goodbye to my weakness,_

_So long to the regret,_

_And now I see the world through diamond eyes!" _\- Shinedown, 'Diamond Eyes'

**September 20th, 2115**

This was the day.

The day she left all she loved to fight in a war of hysteria. Bullhead class harrier jets were taking all volunteers and conscripted personnel to the staging area for final debriefings and last second brush-ups on the battle plan. Being a part of the Phoenix Regiment, Pyrrha Nikos was already briefed and had memorized the entire offensive maneuver.

But right now that was the last thing on her mind, right now she had to say goodbye to her mother Athena and the one she planned on tying the knot with after this unjust war. Jaune Arc, he was one of the nicest people she had ever met, and that was saying something. She was a Nikos after all.

She could still remember the first time they met at a small cafe in the poorer district of Vale City. He had been there visiting a friend known as Yang, someone she had only met once, as well as a girl by the name of Ruby Rose and their family. Yang's mother was apparently going to be a part of the war effort, as such the two had agreed that downsizing was the best option.

Pay wasn't guaranteed the longer the war went on, the government had quite the surplus, but war tends to drain coffers rather quickly.

Anyway, they had only known each other for a few months, but in those short months the two had become closer than either thought possible. Jaune was no fighter, his status as a noble heir allowed for him to avoid recruitment into the military, even with his adequate age.

They were both only seventeen, and marriage may seem to be a rather radical step at such a young age, but unless you saw the love between the two you wouldn't understand.

However, Pyrrha's young age didn't mean she was inept in combat. She was one of the few Nikos to go into the military at a grunt level; her compassion, drive, ambition, and intelligence had landed her a spot on Echo Squad. This squad was made of veteran and greenhorn alike, all of them having either immense skill or potential.

She was honored to be able to fight alongside such esteemed warriors of humanity, it was the cause of this war she objected to. Her thoughts were interrupted as her mother and a mop of scraggly blonde hair she so loved popped into view.

"Pyrrha!"

Instantly she was being attacked by her lover, and she couldn't be more happy about it. Blissfully returning the blonde's embrace, Pyrrha closed her eyes and burned this moment into her memory. This may be the last time she ever feels this love, it's far from impossible to believe that she may perish in this war.

Her mom gave a small cough, and the two hardly separated. Jaune just put his arm around her waist and smiled goofily at Athena. The two had always been on good terms since the day Pyrrha began dating the Arc. Apparently she knew his father and was more than pleased to see the two together.

Her own father was far from here, somewhere on the Schnee estate trying to get them to agree to something.

Schnee...that name had once been something to admire in this world, now it was tarnished with dishonor and cowardice. Since the 'vote' she and Weiss had hardly seen each other, and Pyrrha dearly missed the girl. She was only fifteen, but the Schnee was mature far beyond her age. Weiss Schnee would grow up to be a very intelligent and deadly woman if her rapier training and results were anything to go by.

Classical weapons training was such a lost tradition. She knew how to fight with a good ol fashion spear, not that she would be using that particular skill on the battlefield. At least she really hoped she wouldn't be, killing people that close tended to get rather messy and trauma inducing.

Finally opening her eyes, Pyrrha met the proud yet fearful eyes of her mother with a smile full of confidence. She was with the best of the best, she was one of the best of the best, she wasn't going to die in this war, she was sure of it.

"Worry doesn't suit you mom."

"Oh, honey, worry doesn't suit any Nikos."

They just smile at each other, not much needed to be said between them. Pyrrha knew what her mom meant, she was telling her to not worry about this silly war and to just get through it. Her mother too understood, the elder Nikos need not worry about the younger; Pyrrha was beyond confident in herself and those around her.

It was going to take more than this silly war to take Pyrrha Nikos down.

"Now, I know you and lover boy here want alone time for goodbyes, but could you give your mom a hug before you go?"

Smile still showing, Pyrrha detached herself from Jaune and closed the distance between the woman she looked just like. From her green eyes to flowing red hair, Pyrrha had it all. Of course, her hair was violating regulation, but in these times of mass recruitment those silly things were loosened.

Embracing her mother, Pyrrha swore to forever cherish this memory. She loved her mother dearly, she was really going to miss talking to her as the war went on. There were some things that only a mother could provide, and Pyrrha was going to miss her every second.

"You better come back to me."

The tear filled whisper filled her ears, and Pyrrha just hugged her mom tighter. She would be coming back, not in a body bag, but alive and well. All limbs attached.

"I promise, and-"

"A Nikos never breaks a promise. I know, dear, I know."

The two just sat in silence, slowly swaying as Jaune watched on in mild amusement and contentment. He didn't mind this at all, he wasn't the greedy or jealous type. Soon the pair separated, and with a kiss to the forehead Athena Nikos left the landing pad to Pyrrha and Jaune.

Green met blue, and words weren't needed as the couple exchanged how they felt via eyes and grins. So the two just hugged again, much like they did previously, and waited as they heard the approaching Bullhead that would carry Pyrrha to the future warzone.

"I love you, Pyrrha."

A beaming smile crossed her face.

"I love you too, Jaune."

And that was all that needed to be said. The two looked at each other again, only this time they closed the distance between their lips and tenderly kissed. Time seemed to stop as the two teens got lost in their own world, but it was not to be. The loud noise of the Bullhead was upon them.

This was it, time to leave everything behind.

Pyrrha and Jaune separated, their messages given and received. No goodbyes were given, none were needed. They _would_ be seeing each other again, no doubt about it, right now they were completely confident in both themselves and the person they loved.

If only they had known that the war would last for a grueling three years, and that the results were far worse than what any cynic or leader could have predicted.

* * *

Not far from the high-rise Nikos home, another family was saying it's goodbyes, only this goodbye was much different. The Winchester's weren't nearly as affectionate as the Nikos, with only the Schnee being more cold.

That was saying a lot too, Schnee are the definition of cold. But Cardin wouldn't have it any other way.

His mother was currently giving his sister, Amelia, a small hug goodbye. Amelia was the pride and joy of the family, being both the eldest and assigned to the uprising Echo Squad of Phoenix she was the epitome of Winchester heritage.

With tomboyish orange hair and a sharp jaw line, Amelia would be offended to be called beautiful. She looked like she belonged in the military, her temper on and off the field were legendary in the Regiment. Her black eyes only served to further accentuate her hair, it gave her a more menacing look.

Beside her was his father, one of the many Majors of the Phoenix Regiment, Robin Winchester was a man of both mind and body. Being able to both run a weapons empire and master small arms training, he was a force to be reckoned with be it in the planning tents or battlefield.

Much like his father Cardin possessed the signature orange hair all Winchester's possessed, sharing his baby blue eyes and softer facial features. Not that either of the males would every admit that. They were not soft! Nor were his eyes 'cute'!

Off topic, his mother, bless her soul, was now saying her farewells to her husband. Robin and Amanda Winchester were a match made in weapons heaven; Amada possessed the mind of an engineer with Robin having the smarts needed to manage a business. Without one the other was incomplete, somehow that was romantic for those two, and while he wasn't about to judge, if he ever got a girlfriend he would not be trying to woo them with weapons puns.

Finally it was his turn to say farewell to the woman who raised him to be the man he was today. Bursting with energy, Cardin hardly managed to keep his face in the stoic mask needed for this goodbye. Spine straight, he met the black eyes of his mother with burning determination.

He would make her proud, be it through death on the battlefield or heroic actions of valor that won the day. He would prove himself in this war, beyond all doubt he would show this world what Cardin Winchester was made of.

He would surpass his father on the military chain of command.

He would outshine his sister in every way imaginable.

Glory and honor would be his; nothing would get in his way.

All it took was for Amanda to simply glance at his eyes to see that fire, that drive, that _need_, and she knew. She knew he would do her proud, Cardin did not need a single word of encouragement, he was ready.

So Amanda gave Cardin what she gave neither his sister or his father, a small smile and nod of the head, before turning her back and going towards the Winchester manor. Their Bullhead had finally arrived.

For all his father's intellect, he had not received what Cardin just had.

For all her prowess on the battlefield, Amelia too lacked what Cardin had that his mother saw.

Amanda Winchester had just acknowledged her son as her equal, and Cardin's drive for victory doubled the moment he received this acknowledgement.

The world would know his name.

* * *

_September 23rd, 2115, Known as 'The Day the Heavens' Mourned' _

_Mammoth Company of the Phoenix Regiment_

_Sergeant Michel Fearaday, Ensign "Wrecking Ball"_

This was the day the faunus finally got what they deserved. This was the day humanity took their rightful place on the throne of Remnant. This was the day Operation Resurgence was to be executed, and Michel couldn't be more pleased with how things were developing.

The cloud cover was perfect, the airships artificial clouding was making their detection near impossible. The automated army was assembled and online, ready to pour onto the enemy lines with the simple press of a button or typing of a command.

Thousands of men and women stood ready inside the many layers of trenches that was the frontline of the DMZ between humanity and the faunus. Not just tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of his fellow men and women would be joining him in their push towards the faunus city of Eclipse.

Of course, this was not all at one section, but all across the many mile long border the two species shared. However, his Company would be playing a vital role in this not so little offensive. His entire Regiment would be playing a very important part in this war, and this was to be the first of their many heroic actions during the war.

Mammoth Company had received nearly every single one of the new combat suits, they were named the 'Fury Combat System', and nothing could better describe these things than that. The design was large and tanky, meaning to take bullets like water balloons and brush off the most lethal of sniper rounds.

The walking tank he currently inhabited was seven feet tall, weighed at least a single ton, and was powered by the most advanced compact power source humanity has ever made. He would be carrying a .50 cal machine gun into the fray, with his comrades taking other heavy weapons to clear out the trenches.

They were shock troops of the highest order, and they would not be stopped this day.

This thing was practically a mini-mech, but there was one thing that separated this masterpiece from those overpriced toys. These were hooked right into his brain, they received orders instantly and without the need to read them. The 'suit' and man became one in these contraptions. He was the suit, and the suit was him.

Yes, the Fury design was going to funnel all of humanity's hate into a single, brutal, painful first strike into enemy territory. The faunus will fall, they will buckle, they will break beneath his steel feet.

The wasteland between the two sides was silent, the time of reckoning was at hand.

_"Brothers, sisters, today we ask that you make the ultimate sacrifice-"_

This was it, this was the beginning of the end.

_"-in order to protect humanity from the faunus threat. They have taken our rightful land, killed our ancestors, pillaged our cities, raped our people!"_

Fucking faunus scum, they would pay for their transgressions.

_"But today we say no more! No more oppression! No more living in fear and despair! We as a species have had enough! Today we will rise up from the ashes and retake what is rightfully ours!"_

They have stolen our land. They are the ones who attacked first! They are the ones who started this species war! They are the ones who terrorize his streets with drug trading and human trafficking. His daughter had just been kidnapped by these monsters.

He was going to make them pay.

_"Now, my brothers and sisters, rise up and break the shackles of servitude from your feet and hands! Remember your grandfathers! Remember your ancestors! Remember the sacrifices they made to keep these vermin from our homes!"_

His great-great grandfather and mother had served in the first Faunus-Human war. They never returned.

_"For freedom!_

_For liberation!_

_For humanity!_

_From the ashes we rise!"_

The last lines were repeated through his mind, it reverberated with his very being and soul. All across the battlefront the slogan was chanted, the Televisions back home sent the same message, radio stations, the internet, everything that had speakers spread the battle cry.

All across the land people young and old cried out for vengeance, cried out for blood, cried out to the heavens for this dystopian cold war to finally end.

The collective voice of humanity had spoken, and it's message was clear.

There will be blood.

Joining in on the hysterical cries of his comrades, Michel and the hundreds of thousands of voices littered across the front shook the ground and crossed the distance to the enemy lines. The roar of humanity was accentuated by the thundering of artillery. The opening salvos had been fired.

Under the cover of artillery fire and the passion of their creators, the autonomous army emerged from the trenches in droves and charged across the wasteland. Shells cratered the landscape and fire erupted skyward as the enemy lines were pummeled by the endless hail of artillery fire.

Even with the rumbling of artillery and the charging of metal robots across the wasteland, the men and woman of the military continued their mad screaming of the slogan that had taken hold of the nation no more than a month ago.

"**For Freedom!**

**For Liberation!**

**For Humanity!**

**From the ashes we rise!"**

Bullhead's rocketed overhead and flew over the faunus defensive line, dropping bomb after bomb and firing rocket after rocket. The bunkers and trenches of the first line of defenses were utterly shattered, and not a single bullet was fired in return.

They were taken completely off guard by the massive show of firepower and thundering cries of the humans. For the first time in far too long the faunus now feared humanity. For the first time they were finally beginning to realize their folly in underestimating the "inferior" race.

Today, justice was to be served.

_"To glory and victory! Leave none alive! Show them the same mercy they showed us!"_

With a war cry worthy of legend, the Mammoth Company was catapulted by the bloodlust of their comrades towards the shattered enemy line. In seconds Michel was over the trench and bolting across the DMZ towards his target. He was joined by over 200 of his fellow Fury wearers and soon over 200 tons of unstoppable metal was barreling towards the crumbling faunus defenses.

Once menacing bunkers and barbed wire now lay in ruin and disarray. The line that had for so long stood as an impenetrable fortress was now a testament to the strength of the human spirit. The first signs of resistance manifested in the first falling of their robot comrades; the shock troopers paid them no mind.

Even under sustained artillery fire, the faunus managed to reorganize and fight back. Rounds pinged off his combat suit and of those around him, Bullhead's continued to soar overhead and more explosions rocked the rapidly approaching trench line. Only this time a missile was fired and nearly hit a plane.

The faunus would not go down with a whimper.

Now only a few hundred meters away from the first of many trenches, Michel grasped his massive .50 cal with both hands and began to riddle the line with round after round of ammunition. Those beside him also began to open up on the front, the rapid firing weapon tore anyone dumb enough to continue shooting a new hole in their forehead.

Now too close for comfort, the artillery began to creep further back and deeper into enemy territory. Even with rounds landing around them the shock troopers of the Phoenix Regiment continued unphased into the fiery hell of warfare.

Supported by their robot allies, the 215 men of Mammoth Company surged over the first trench line en mass, with some staying behind to kill the few survivors off. The screams of the faunus as they burnt were music to his ears.

Ignoring the first trench entirely, Michel finally received the resistance he craved from these animals. The second line wasn't fairing much better, but the third was still a bastion of security. Bullet after bullet sailed through the air and slammed into the robots around him. Most just pinged off his suit.

He was going to enjoy this.

Beginning his stroll towards the third line, he hardly noticed that the artillery had finally began to target logistical target far in the distance and left the defensive line all to him and his Company. Continuing his walk into a hailstorm or lead, Michel spun up his heavy gun and fired madly into the bunkers, sandbags, and trenches that remained.

Beside him the men and woman of Mammoth joined him, firing grenade launchers, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, more machine guns, gauss cannons; everything was let loose at the line of desperate faunus.

Most of the guns were silenced in seconds and replaced by screams of anguish and agony. From the flanks came more small arms fire, but the shock troops just continued their ruthless advance.

_"Armor, move forward!"_

Somewhere in the back of his blood thirsty mind, Michel acknowledged that fact that now tanks and infantry fighting vehicles were swarming towards the gap they had just made. But it mattered little to him, there were still trenches to clear, still faunus to kill.

Stepping over the burning carcass of the third line, Michel and his Company were continually fired upon as they advanced on the fourth line of defense. A rocket sailed by him as he continued his mad firing and smashed into a comrade by the name of Smith. His suit was engulfed in an explosion and his life signs disappeared.

The entire battlefield seemed to pause in both shock and rage.

_Not one more man._

With cries full of anger, the 214 men of Mammoth outright abandoned their heavy weapons and closed the distance in seconds. Other rockets were fired, but all missed the fast moving tanks. Being the first the reach this vermin infested trench, Michel grabbed a rifle aimed towards his face and yanked the faunus out of the trench.

With cold precision the combat suit slammed it's fist right down onto the things skull, splattering its contents all over the battlefield made murder field. Dropping the useless rifle, Michel descended into the trenches and began to try and sate his unquenchable bloodlust.

The foolish creatures thought that knives and pistols could hurt him. Flying into a manic rage the shock-trooper crippled any and all faunus he encountered, often times just shattering their skeletal structure with a single punch or kick.

Yes...

This was what he lived for! The thrill of seeing the fear in your enemies hearts before snuffing them out of existence!

Continuing his blind fury, Michel lifted and threw faunus after faunus into the air as he cackled the whole time. Distantly he heard the rumbling of tanks passing him, but it was all irrelevant. All of it meaningless in this carnival of death.

With the fourth trench subdued, Michel and his Company moved to the next one in the same fashion. Overwhelming the enemy with superior firepower and support from the armor that stayed behind them. The fifth trench line was just as brutally one-sided, countless faunus fell to his steel fist and foot.

_"Infantry, surge forward and claim the lands of your ancestors!"_

Thousands of infantry men and women came flying over their own trenches and charged right into the gaping hole Mammoth Company had made. The faunus defense here was completely shattered, any semblance of organization was decimated at the unveiling of humanities secret weapons.

With countless men, women, tanks, and hopes behind him, Michel Fearaday looked out from his sixth cleared trench and saw that the way was clear for his comrades to advance. Any anti-tank weaponry remaining was captured, AA guns had been targeted in the initial bombardment, so hardly any remained.

All that was left to be done was to encircle the areas they had not attacked at and kill every single one of the defenders.

Operation Resurgence had been a resounding success. Humanity was unstoppable, they were destined to win this war.

Or so they thought.


	3. The Battle for Eclipse

**This chapter is as long as the entire rest of the story. XD**

**Lets get started, shall we?**

From the Ashes: The Burning

_"To kill for yourself is murder. To kill for your government is heroic. To kill for entertainment is harmless." _\- Spec Ops: The Line, Loading Screen

* * *

_September 25th, 2115, two days post Operation Resurgence _

_Cardin Winchester, Sergeant of Phoenix Regiment_

_ETA to Eclipse; T-minus 20 minutes. _

He couldn't feel more at home up here.

Cardin Winchester and his squad of six were going to be in the first wave to be dropped into the faunus city of Eclipse via Bullhead insertion. Their job was to take the high-rises and clear out the buildings one by one. He would be joined by two fellow squads of Phoenix, his squad's ensign was 'Eagle' with the other two being 'Carnivore' and 'Break'.

The plane began to vibrate. The AA must be online.

Looking over his team, Cardin couldn't help the small smirk that crossed his face, not that anyone could see it. They were all in full combat gear, bullet-proof vests with too many pockets to count, helmets, digital camouflage for everything. He also opted to put a black bandana across his face and wear military issue sunglasses.

None knew that he was second in line for the Winchester throne, only that he was indeed a Winchester. Just as he wanted it.

His squad was a group of odd fellows, but they were all more than competent. Three of them were greenhorns with promise, two were experienced in the art of warfare. The three greenhorns were Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. Since their meeting he and those three seemed to be peas in a pod. They were much smaller than himself, but they were pretty good shots.

The other two went by Ivory and Jessica, common names if there were any, and these two ensured that 'Eagle' wasn't a complete sausage fest. However, their sense of camaraderie was rather subdued, the two females seemed eager for a fight, while the three newbies were just plain nervous and scared due to this being their first engagement.

He couldn't blame them, faunus were a hardy bunch to take down.

He would be carrying the infamous AA-12 Auto-Assault Shotgun into battle and be using the 32 shell drum magazine. For sidearm's he had two M-9 pistols and, oddly enough, a mace. He hadn't been trained in traditional close weapons use, as such he was going to use what he was used to.

It was kinda bulky, but who cares? He would manage.

Jessica and Ivory both used the M16A3 Assault Rifle, and had the USP as their sidearm with the generic knives for close combat. Dove had the AUG Rifle and was going to duel wield the Glock 22 and go in without any close combat weaponry. Russel would be carrying the SCAR-H Mk 18, this improved version simply allowed for the use of a larger 40 round magazine.

Sky was the only one with a sub-machine gun, the famed P-90 had undergone some modifications and now had a 120 round 'clip' of sorts. The two girls had grenade launchers attached to the underneath via the rail system, as well as ACOG scopes. Dove claimed he needed no modifications, while Russel had a thermal scope attached.

Cardin decided to just get FMJ rounds in case he needed to go through a few walls. It was always good to be prepared. But, really, what did they have to worry about? They had smashed through the first line of defense with ease, this first city was going to be nothing.

At least, it was easy for Cardin to think that, all above the warzone that was the city below him.

It had taken the first wave a full day to encircle their objectives and kill the remaining defenders, the entire second was spent moving the artillery up and regrouping. Currently the concrete jungle of Eclipse was being pounded into submission by high explosive artillery rounds.

The reason infantry were being air dropped in was due to a particularly skilled and nasty armor Company halting the land offensive in its tracks. The plan was to keep going, but this was going to be a long war, so unnecessary casualties were to be avoided. It wouldn't do well for moral to drop as droves of men and women were massacred by a single armor company.

The overwhelming human force was guaranteed to break through the line of steel, it was just that the human commanders wanted to achieve another major and decisive victory as the faunus were still unorganized. Once they began to push back, it was going to be hard to keep the animals in their pens.

So this garrison of Eclipse was going to have to fall, and fall now. It would do wonders back home for the people to see the first city fall into human hands. War was won off the battlefield, if the people didn't support the war, then it was going to end.

As such, propaganda was as critical in war as battle plans. All propaganda was rooted in some truth, so a city needed to fall. They could smudge the casualty reports later, right now the infantry needed to occupy the city capital building and raise the UHF flag. Once those pictures were taken and sent, then they could get serious about securing the entire city and its population.

Though, will the amount of recourses Ozpin poured into Phoenix, the President allowed him to retain control of the Regiment. Currently he had yet to override any orders, but he could at any moment. Scientists are not known for their compassion, at least not the good ones.

This could be a great testing ground for a bio weapon.

But that was all speculation, right now the men of Phoenix had much more pressing matters to contend with. Such as the amount of tracer fire being spewed from the streets and buildings below, even with a few Bullhead's going down the hundreds of aircraft dropped their precious cargo at the designated positions and left mostly unmolested.

As many guns had been fired as had been silent, be it from fear of artillery, undermanned stations, or the artillery itself having already destroyed them. The gamble had paid off, this city was now guaranteed, it was only a matter of time. But time was something the humans didn't have.

Every second wasted was another second the faunus got to reorganize their military and strike back.

The back of the plane opened, time to move.

Rushing out of the Bullhead, Cardin and his squad were greeted with two other aircraft with human cargo of their own. Securing the LZ the three six man squads waited for their transports to leave before proceeding.

"Eagle! You and Carnivore clear out the building. Break, set-up and prepare to provide long distance support to other teams! Double time it!"

"Yes, Master Sergeant!"

Not even acknowledging the order outside of a nod, Cardin waved his team ahead of Carnivore.

"Sky, point. Jess and Iv take rear."

Stiff nods were his answer, Carnivore had already gone down the other stairwell. Throwing open the door, Sky lead them down the stairwell with cautious steps. There was no telling who would come out and try to attack them, faunus were naturally stronger than humans. The other squad was going straight down to the lobby to secure the entrance.

Alright, floor 102, time to breach.

"Line up."

Instantly three lined up on either side of the door, Cardin swung the door open and charged in gun ready to kill. What he saw was rather comforting. Faunus were cowering underneath their desks in cubicles, this was going to be easy.

"Just civilians, clear them out."

"You got it boss!"

With disturbing eagerness Sky shot his gun into the air and announced their presence. That...that wasn't what he had meant, but this could work. Hopefully they could hear him over the screams this gunfire produced.

"Aaaaaalright! Everyone out of the building! Now!"

What followed could only be described as a clusterfuck as masses of faunus ran towards the stairs and elevators. However, a few stayed...this did not bode well.

"We won't be pushed around by you humans!"

You have got to be kidding. Were they really that fucking stupid? Did they really think he had some moral qualms with harming them?

Cardin just chuckled.

"Jessica, Ivory, mind showing these clowns what happens when pencil pushers stand up to elite infantry?"

"Not at all."

"Gladly."

The two women of Eagle casually walked up to the four rebellious faunus as the rest of the squad swept the floor, nobody else was dumb enough to oppose six highly trained soldiers with weapons. Don't get him wrong, courage was admirable, but this was outright suicide at best.

Not that he was going to kill them, but they didn't know that.

So he watched in mild amusement as the first was simply socked in the mouth by Jessica, falling down unconscious in under a second. The other three hardly had time to react when Ivory slammed her boots into the chest of another; right in the solar plexus, he almost pitied that man. Finally realizing that they were under attack, each faunus tried to fumble up some kind of defense, but the veterans would have none of it.

With a simple faint followed by a brutal punch to the gut Jessica's final "opponent" was finished. Ivory didn't even bother trying to go around the pathetic attempts at blocking her strikes, she outright shattered the creatures guard and brutally beat him into unconsciousness.

"That was for Leah, assholes."

Ah, Ivoy's sister had been killed by a faunus attack back in Eternity. The city was situated on the very brink of human civilization, so the faunus had little trouble infiltrating. Only their odd skin texture and eyes could give it away, and the eyes could be fixed with some simple contacts.

_"Eagle! What the hell is with all the civis?!"_

Whoops. He had forgotten about that.

"Uhm. We _might _have caused a bit of panic. I mean, totally not our fault."

He just got a sigh in return and a mumbled 'fucking greenhorns'.

Hey, it wasn't his fault Sky had violent tendencies.

"Since that went so well, move down to the next level, only this time don't shoot into the air. Yes, Sky, that includes you."

"Awwwww."

Cardin just about face palmed at that, Dove snickered. Their moment of humanity was interrupted by the shaking of the building. Looking outside the window, a tower on the opposite side of the street was crumbling into a pile of fire and concrete. They were still in a war-zone, there was no time for these antics.

"Alright, cut the shit, no more bull or you're getting sent home a disgrace. Any questions?"

None made a comment, only crisp salutes.

Rushing down the same stairwell, Eagle breached countless more floors and cleared them of civilians via elevator. It was a laborious task, but it needed to be done, the closer they got to ground level the less people there were, which was odd, usually it was the other way around. Faunus were weird creatures with a weird culture, so things were probably very different here. Either way, it was taking a ludicrous amount of time to secure this building.

It was when they reached the 15th floor that they finally encountered their first problem.

"Alright, you know the drill. Blah blah. We're almost done."

"Fucking finally. This has been the most anti-climatic war in history."

"Don't jinx it man, don't jinx it."

"Jessica, Dove, shut it."

"Whatever."

Women. Good ones were few and far between.

Casually opening the door, Cardin froze as he entered what could only be described as the biggest shock of his life. There were faunus infantry right there, right in-front of him, moving through the cubicle maze. And they were turning this way right now. Right as he continued to stare gaping at the eight fully geared faunus.

Oh, oh shit.

Throwing himself backwards, Cardin just barely avoided the gunfire that hit right where he had been by a matter of milliseconds ago. Scrambling to sit behind the concrete wall in the stairwell, Cardin joined his squad in cover.

"You jinxed it. You fucking jinxed it."

"I swear to God Dove! Shut the fuck up and throw a grenade!"

Without a cheeky response the young man did as he was told, fishing a kinetic grenade from his belt Dove tossed a small cylinder into the cubicle filled room. A kinetic grenade isn't filled with your usual explosive, its designed to make an incredible amount of noise on a certain frequency to make enemies disoriented.

This frequency was something only faunus could hear with their enhanced senses and different biology, so Eagle was unaffected. The only reason Cardin knew it worked was due to a string of curses and the stop of gunfire.

With a single wave forward his team went barreling into room guns drawn.

"Carnivore, be advised, we have encountered enemies on floor 15."

_"Acknowledged. We have yet to encounter the enemy. Civilians are mostly out of the building."_

They were greeted with faunus holding their head in pain. Cardin showed no mercy, his team followed suit. Blasting away his first target with brutal efficiency Cardin watched in morbid fascination as the faunus was blow to pieces from blast after blast of FMJ shotgun slugs.

No amount of training could prepare him for that grotesque image, but he didn't have the luxury of thought at the moment.

The seven remaining enemies were neutralized in seconds, all of them gunned down in equally brutal and bloody fashion. But there is no rest for the weary. They seemed to have stumbled upon a HQ of some kind, and with everyone on the floor being alerted of their presence things were about to get ugly real fast.

Being in the middle of the madness did not help at all, they had no real cover here, and they didn't have many of those grenades left. Explosives had yet to be authorized for this building, hence their use of one earlier.

All around them faunus in full combat gear rounded corners and aimed down their sights with the intent of ending their existence. They were in the middle of a corridor-like section of the floor, a wall and empty rooms separated them from the rest of the open area just behind it. They could only go left or right, both had enemies more than ready to take them on.

This was why he was a Sergeant of Phoenix Regiment, the most elite Regiment the human military could muster. Outnumbered, outgunned, but never out-skilled.

He was Cardin Winchester, he would not be brought down by these inferior beings.

He was not going to die this day. Cardin made his move and issued his orders with absolute confidence.

"J and I suppress left. Others on me!"

There was no time for names or specifics, they trained for this, they prepared for this, they were ready for this. His squad knew exactly what was expected of them.

The two women instantly turned and suppressed any who dared poke their head out. Synced through experience and years of training together, the sisters in arms didn't need to communicate who would target what and when. There wasn't a single pause in the fire they put up for their comrades, the moment one needed to reload the other began firing.

With the booming of rifles at his back, Cardin and his other three squad mates rushed their exit plan with both desperation and courage. The four men of Eagle blindly fired into the enemy ranks as they too unleashed all they could in a hailstorm of lead. The men of Phoenix didn't even flinch. Rounds grazed by them with inches to spare and the juggernauts just powered on, killing more and more enemies by the second.

The combined firepower and will of four men drove at least twenty faunus from the position. At least ten were dead or dying.

"D R cover I and J. S with me; stop for nothing."

Dove and Russel turned to cover their now retreating sisters as Cardin and Sky ruthlessly turned the corner and continued their advance into the enemy HQ. They saw many enemies needed to be neutralized, but they had many bullets and slugs that needed to be shot.

With the room now nothing but an endless sea of grey cubicles the two members of Eagle had little to no cover. However, the faunus too had a distinct absence of cover, so Cardin and Sky did just as they were trained to.

Just keep moving and shooting.

Each sprinting down a different path, Cardin continued to unleash hell upon the enemy with his automatic shotgun sending slug after slug downrange. His comrade Sky unleashed a torrent of gunfire at the enemies around them, each falling to the hail of gunfire.

Rounds suddenly coming from behind them, Cardin didn't need to look to know his squad mates were unloading their weapons into the dwindling faunus forces. The office was now nothing but a chaotic mess of warfare as six humans took on thrice their number with wills of steel.

As fast as the firefight started, it was over. Not one faunus remained standing and none on Eagle had even been hit. This garrison wasn't well trained, that was for sure. Likely just volunteers who wanted to defend their homes.

Cardin couldn't find it in himself to feel guilty. If humanity didn't do this then they would be on the receiving end of this. He'd rather have dead faunus then dead humans.

"B-Bastards..."

The gurgled wheezing speech of a fallen female faunus to his left caught his attention. Kneeing next to the dying woman, Cardin listened to her last words with both respect and honor. They fought well, they stood their ground, they tried. As a Winchester it was his duty to respect friend and foe on the battlefield.

After all, they were just fighting for what they loved and cherished. Just like him. He didn't buy into the dehumanization propaganda, no true warrior did.

"Why? Why must you do this?"

Without hesitation Cardin answered, staring right into her fading golden eyes.

"We couldn't afford to wait and give peace a chance."

"Y-Y-You-" Her speech was interrupted by coughing fits and blood dribbling from her mouth, but the faunus fought through it.

"You will burn for this."

Something he already knew and accepted, but he would do anything to protect his family and make himself worthy of the name Winchester.

"I know, but we all fight for what we believe is right."

She wanted to say more, _needed _to say more, but death waits for no one. With fear finally seeping into her eyes the dying woman grasped at Cardin's hand, which he gladly gave her and held, as her breathing became erratic and more blood ran from her mouth.

With a single, final deep breath the woman left the world of the living, and Cardin slowly allowed her hand to hit the ground.

"Collect their tags."

"B-But sir-"

"I said collect their tags. They fought honorably, and their families deserve these tags."

"There's that Winchester blood!"

Cardin carefully took the tags of the woman he helped pass and stood. He pointedly ignored Russel's comment and simply stared at the name engraved on the small piece of metal.

**_Cynthia Belladonna_**

Hearing the grumbles of his squad as they collected the faunus tags, Cardin took this time to selfishly reflect on what he had done right after he called it in.

"Carnivore, enemies neutralized. No casualties and at least thirty dead. Collecting intelligence now, acknowledge."

_"Impressive. We had a small firefight down here but nothing major. Hurry up, we think they had friends." _

"Roger, double timing now." With a simple thought his mic was turned off. "How far along are we on the tags?"

"Uuuuuhm. Idunno. I think about ten more."

"Pick it up Sky, we gatta move."

"Well. _Maybe _if you abandoned the honor BS we could."

"Russel, is that defiance I hear? Does someone wana be on toilet duty for a month?"

"Fucking Winchesters..."

Russel and Cardin didn't have the best of relationships, outside of combat the two were actually pretty antagonistic towards the other. This was due to Russel's constant insulting of the Winchester name, something Cardin was extremely proud of.

The rest of the squad ignored the exchange, it wasn't too uncommon. They just continued to try and salvage any Intel they could as they collected the tags.

"Alright, we're good to go."

"You know the drill, clear the next level. Double time it, Jess Ivory and Rus go to the next level. We will do the 13th."

Taking care to reload his weapon, Cardin and his squad cleared the remaining floors in no time. There weren't any other enemies to deal with, and almost all the civilians were gone. So it took about twenty minutes to completely clear the remaining 14 floors.

"Eagle is done, entering lobby now."

Opening the door to the ground level, Cardin and his team were greeted with the sight of six fellow humans in full combat gear ready and waiting for a suspected counterattack. The Master Sergeant of the group was also there, directing the defense of the lobby.

The lobby itself was rather high class, meaning that most of it was glass or some other see through material that wouldn't allow for adequate cover or ambush positions. It was, however, large enough to fit at least three cars into, and the commanding officer was going to use this to his advantage.

"Eagle, step back into that stairwell. You too Carnivore, I just need three people for this, and I've already chosen them."

His gruff and aged voice instilled a sense of calm confidence in those under his command; he was more than experienced enough to deal with something as small as a poorly trained garrison counter-attacking. Three people of Carnivore jointed the Sergeant as Cardin and the rest all packed themselves into the stairwell.

"So...how's the weather? Crazy huh? Never thought it could rain lead."

"That joke was pretty weak. Hey hey! Who wants to hear a knock-knock joke?"

"Oh Gods. Victor, nobody wants to hear your atrocious jokes."

"Says you Sarah! I'm sure one of these other lovely females would be more than happy to hear my wondrous sense of humor."

"Dove, please shut him up, we have one too many clowns as it is."

"I take offense to tha-"

_CRASH!_

"...Did they really drive the cars into the lobby?"

"Only one way to find out! Forward, my comrades! Into the heat of battle!"

...

No one moved.

"Well. Least we know I didn't write that speech a few days ago."

_"You can come out now. The defenses have been assembled."_

Assembled is a term for it. When Cardin walked back into the lobby, there was glass everywhere with the fish tank in the wall being broken. Water and aquatic creatures littered the floor as a chandelier fell right down on one of the new accessories of the lobby.

Three fucking cars were parked sideways in the once pristine lobby. It made sense, but come on, who took that foreshadowing seriously?

The comical moment was short lived, the faunus were coming.

_"Squads Eagle and Carnivore, this is Break. We have a massive group of garrison moving on the building. The other teams are all in their own combat situations, air support has been called but the AA is fully online. We count at least 150 hostiles bearing down on our position. ETA five minutes. Acknowledge." _

"Shit, this is Sergeant Willowgrove, we copy. Take out as many as you can, at least try to stall them."

_"Already planned to."_

Five humongous booms signaled the sniper team's firing. Even with that support, on the ground is was 16 vs an estimated 150. That...that was ludicrous, even for the infamous Phoenix Regiment the odds seemed bleak. At least, that was what Cardin thought, his officer thought otherwise.

"Pah, bunch of pansies think they can play with the real deal, eh? Well, let's set-up the welcome wagon, shall we? I want fragmentation mines on the ceiling ASAP, get the heavy weapon moved so it's hidden, really that's all we can do. We're not equipped for this, so get ready for one hell ofva fight!"

Such inspiring words. Cardin almost sweat dropped at the very odd display, but he followed his orders. Three fragmentation mines burrowed into the polished marble ceiling and the heavy machine gun was indeed hidden inside of the stairwell.

"Winchester, you're absolutely positive there are no other living souls in this building?"

"Yes Sir, we killed at least thirty on 15, the Civies have all been cleared baring a few others. They are currently waiting for pickup on their respective floors."

"Cheeky Winchester, cheeky. Alright, everyone into the elevator! I got a remote camera online."

His words would have been comical had his voice not been so grim and grizzly in nature.

"Uhm. Sir, which one do you want us in?"

"The middle one, lad, the middle one."

_"ETA thirty seconds."_

The sixteen men of Eagle and Carnivore squeezed into the middle elevator, but didn't press the button to go up. So the thing didn't move; the more Cardin thought about this the worse he felt about the whole thing.

How on Remnant was this going to work?

But, the sounds of movement and voices halted any thought of talking in its tracks. None dared to make a sound.

"What the hell? Did they just decide to drive three cars in here for nothing?"

"I have no idea, humans are pretty stupid, I don't put it by them."

"Stop the chatter, we need to take out those snipers and find Fox Squad. We lost contact with them not long ago, so keep on your toes."

"Dude, there's literally no one here. Those snipers are as good as dead, let's make them feel some fear and make them wait."

"Are you fucking stupid? Sometimes I-"

_"Winchester, blow the mines. I count twenty in the lobby."_

Well, it was nice living. Cardin pressed the button on the detonator and an explosion rocked the lobby. A full second later someone pressed the ground level button and the door opened, revealing the dying masses of faunus littering the lobby. Shrapnel and small metal pieces were lodged in necks, shoulders, eyes; anything exposed was fair game for Fragmentation mines.

But the 16 humans didn't have the luxury of admiring their handiwork, already garrison troops were beginning to regroup outside the building. Pouring out of the elevator, two went to fetch the .50 cal as the others all took cover behind the makeshift cover that made up the center of the lobby.

The outside of the lobby was littered with cars and other hard cover, so the attackers had more than numbers on their side in this fight. At least thirty weapons were being aimed at the outgunned humans, but Cardin wouldn't have it any other way. This was how he would make his mark on history, one battle at a time.

The men and women of Phoenix opened fire; the battle was joined.

The response was swift, the full power of the remaining faunus was inaccurately thrown down-range at the human aggressors. Bullets slammed into the frames of automobiles as small arms fire was exchanged, only faunus fell.

The superior training and experience of the combined human squads more than made up for the numbers disparity, but even with this disparity the human side was not without loss.

Glancing to his left after putting his head down, Cardin came face to face with the hollow eyes of one Russel Thrush. A bullet went right into his throat, he must have died a slow and agonizing death. Closing his eyes in anguish, the Sergeant finally heard the thudding of the .50 Carnivore brought with them.

Thank the Gods.

Under the suppressive hellfire that came from the heavy weapon, the faunus were forced to cower behind the cover outside of the building. But, the garrison was not completely without heavy weapons of their own.

A rocket sailed into the lobby and slammed right into the heavy weapons team, obliterating their saving grace and tearing the two Carnivore members to pieces. The car also exploded, shaking the lobby and deafening the remained human defenders.

Cardin was thrown from his position and flew into the wall, which stopped his movement with a painful thud. The other humans weren't doing much better, with the Master Sergeant KIA Cardin was now the leader of the failing defense. The other Sergeant was killed in the car explosion, it was all up to him to fix this mess.

Struggling to stand, Cardin took in his crumbling position with analytic apathy. He couldn't afford to panic now, not with his comrades on the brink of failing and retreating or surrendering.

"Cardin, man, we can't stay here!"

Jessica and Ivory just continued to fire into the dwindling mass of faunus; the rest of Carnivore had already fled. Cowards, he would personally see to their court-martial. Outmanned and outgunned, Cardin did the only thing a Winchester could do.

Attack. Attack mercilessly and brutally.

"Dove! Throw two smokes!"

With desperation fueling his actions, the funny man of Eagle followed his orders without comment.

"Sky, toss out the rest of the Kinetics!"

The normally happy man just grunted as he threw his last three Kinetic 'grenades' into the smoke. His comrade and personal friend was dead not far from where they stood, there wasn't much to be happy about.

"Now follow me! We're taking the fight to these bastards!"

"You're insane!"

"Shut the fuck up or die! MOVE!"

Maneuvering over the utterly trashed car they were hiding behind, Cardin and the two females of Eagle recklessly sprinted through the smoke and into the garrison. The faunus were all being thrashed by the sounds their 'grenades' were putting out.

It was time to strike back.

Unloading a round into the stomach of a nearby enemy, Cardin continued his sprint into enemy lines with his two most loyal or mentally ill comrades at his side. Their own assault rifles took out many with three shots right to the chest, but their Blitzkrieg was short lived.

The enemy was recovering, and they were not happy with this turn of events.

Diving behind the concrete pillars outside of the lobby, the three members of Eagle squad desperately tried to put up a defense. It wasn't enough, the faunus had them utterly suppressed; Sky and Dove tried their best from in the lobby to assist their comrades, but it wasn't enough.

They too had to keep their head down, otherwise they would meet the same fate as Russel. They were all going to die here, this was where their tale ended.

Was this how Cardin Winchester was going to die? Killed by untrained garrison troops?

_"Did someone order the Valkyrie express!?"_

Their savoir came in the form of one kooky pilot and her Bullhead. Missiles were fired from her craft and slammed into the street, destroying many cars and incinerating most of the remaining opposition. Still, a few remained, and one Nora Valkyrie was all too happy to end their lives.

Spinning up the dual miniguns on the underbelly of her Bullhead, Nora added her own commentary to the bloody deaths she caused below.

_"Pew Pew Pew Pew! Hahahahaha! They go 'pop'!"_

Her duty done, the insane pilot rocketed off. To where, Cardin did not know, and honestly didn't care. The woman was insane, there was having fun with warfare, and then there was _that_. She rivaled Mammoth Company in her eagerness to end lives, except in a more innocent way.

If that was possible.

"What the fuck?"

"Just roll with it Jessy, just roll with it."

"Ivory, Jessica, collect the tags of the dead. I'll deal with Sky and Dove."

"Roger roger."

"Hey, go easy on em. They lost a friend today; we all did."

He just nodded at that, Russel was far from a friend, but he was a brother in arms. He wouldn't mourn the man's passing, but Cardin knew that the other two males of Eagle wouldn't feel the same. He didn't plan on scolding them, only comment on why they should follow orders next time, and give his condolences.

Yes, the first day of combat had seen the falling of many worthy comrades; but many more faunus had fallen to death as well. The flag of the UHF now stood proud over the city's capital, and the garrison was in utterly routed. The insertion of highly skilled teams in key locations, coupled with aerial bombardment and artillery shelling had broken the spirit of the poorly trained resistance.

Yes, this war was starting out marvelously.

* * *

This war was on the road to disaster.

He couldn't believe it until he saw it himself, but now here he stood, at the military Headquarters of the UHF offensive, and he was seeing it with his very own eyes.

Let it be known that Ozpin was a very hard man to surprise, even harder to make speechless.

The faunus counter-attack was doing just that. They had entire battalions engaging weaker areas of the front in a matter of hours, the faunus were ready for such an attack, had almost planned for it. Their initial breakthrough was due to an oversight, but this counter-offensive was taking all the military commanders by storm.

None more so than Supreme Commander Port, the one he was currently arguing with.

"You can't order that initiative! The parameters are far from met, let alone the fact that you hold no right to tell us how to act!"

Such a passionate man Port was, it would prove to be his undoing one day.

"With all due respect, the President has allowed for me to retain command of Phoenix due to my supplying of all their gear. I know how it's made, so I know how it should be used. At least that was what I told him; he seemed to buy it."

"You would blacken the honor of such brave and honest soldiers for your sick experiments?"

Looking to his assistant, Cinder Fall, Ozpin made sure the girl knew exactly what he was saying and to ensure she believed him. For one of the few times in his life Ozpin was about to be completely honest.

"Commander, tell me, what do you think allowed for this little offensive? Do you think it was honor? Dignity? Intelligence? No, it was the ability to conduct any research we needed to. We wouldn't have been able to make dust as fast as we had without human test subjects. We couldn't have hoped to produce as many weapons as we did without propaganda and illegal labor practices."

Realization dawned in the ageing man's eyes, but he refused to accept it.

"That's different than what you-"

"No, it isn't. We are people who hold power, power that can either build or destroy. Long ago we decided to build our future on the ashes of an entire race, I am simply doing what is needed to achieve that end. Those with power have a responsibility to those under them, and I will do whatever is necessary to ensure humanity's future."

"O-Ozpin. You can't honestly say testing that thing on an entire city is moral!"

"I never said it was; I said it was necessary. If we don't test this now, I won't be able to collect data, without data I can't improve its lethality. As you can see, the faunus military needs to be killed en mass."

"There's always another way! I didn't vote for genocide!"

A fair point, but it was too late for that.

"Perhaps not, but right now you have no choice. Any mutiny in the chain of command now would doom us to an existence of servitude at the hands of the faunus. Do as you're told, or would you rather have the entire human race's enslavement on your hands?"

If it were possible at this moment, the hatred in the Supreme Commander's eyes grew.

"Fucking bastard...once this war is over, I will bury you."

That was laughable; when it came to politics only Oobleck was more powerful than himself, but not by much. Port was going to be the one who was buried.

"So you say. Order it, otherwise your insubordination will be known."

Resigned to his fate, Port gave Ozpin a farewell worthy of praise.

"You've already won, leave me in peace you insufferable runt."

With a smug smirk Ozpin and a silent Cinder left the Commander in his private quarters. It was quite humble for someone of his status; a simple wooden home with one level. It was the compound that was impressive.

Ten foot high steel walls surrounded the HQ, with well over 1,500 men and women were more than ready and able to defend it at any given point. Automated turrets of every kind lined the walls and interior. Sandbag after sandbag line was made and autonomous robots patrolled the exterior for any threat, even a few Fury Suits were on standby.

But, for all his military prowess, Port lacked something that Ozpin had in spades; Political power.

"I-I know you say it often, but is that truly your philosophy?"

This was the moment he had been waiting for; it was time to make Cinder's mind truly his. The girl was smart, almost smarter than himself, but she was young. She was impressionable. Cinder would prove to make a most useful pawn in his games.

"Yes; those in power should do whatever is required of them to keep whomever they rule over safe. Be it genocide or ordering assassinations, a true leader is above nothing and willing to do anything."

If only he could have taken those words back; they would spawn a monster he could not control.

* * *

_September 27th, 2115; Four days post Operation Resurgence _

_Cardin Winchester, Sergeant of Phoenix Regiment_

"We need to clear out these buildings next. A line of markets and such."

"There's nothing left to clear dude, the artillery made sure of that."

Stepping over more bodies of bloody and mangled civilians, Cardin resisted the urge to puke. This was not how one fought, the blind killing of civilians was not a part of the plan. They were just sad realities of a Blitzkrieg war.

If the world worked how he wanted it to, they would all be able to meet each other on a single field of battle and die honorably, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Movement. Storefront three meters ahead."

The five remained men of Eagle all went silent and readied their weapons. Scanning the streets and ruble around them, Cardin and his team slowly advanced on the market known as 'Belladonna's Books'. That name...the woman he eased into the next world must have owned this store.

Perhaps it was her family that remained inside the store.

"Check your fire; these are likely civilians."

"You realize we don't have any rules of engagement, right?"

"Eyes forward Jessica."

"Pwned."

"Can it Dove."

Moving into the devastated store; Cardin felt his insides churn. What they found was heartbreaking, even for a Winchester it was hard to not see the humanity in the faunus they fought against. Don't misunderstand, he wholeheartedly supported the war, just not the methods they were forced to use to gain victory.

Inside sat two very scared and very young faunus females. One had the same golden eyes he watched fade, as well as flowing black hair that reached the waist. Her clothes were torn and dusty, blue jeans with holes all over and a raggy shirt. This must be Cynthia's daughter.

She was standing in-front of another girl, neither could be older than him. Terrified doe brown eyes glazed up at him and his squad, their guns drawn and aimed, before she squeaked and looked down her body shaking the whole time.

Her clothing was no better than the other, both looked worse off than orphans.

Someone had to lose, they were just born on the wrong side of the border.

Lowing his weapon, the rest of his squad following suit, Cardin walked forward with hands up in the universal sign for surrender.

"Would your last name happen to be Belladonna?"

Her eyes only hardened.

"Yes."

Fishing through his pockets, Cardin found the tag her specifically saved for this event.

"Then I must give you this; your mother fought and died honorably."

Those so determined and passionate eyes drained of all emotion but pain. Insurmountable pain made its existence known on her face, eyes, and body. The girl just fell to her knees and sobbed to herself quietly.

Gently laying the tag near the devastated girl, Cardin moved to the next female. He suspected that she too had someone in the military, if not the garrison.

"What is your last name?"

He tired to sound as emotionless as he could, there was no need to get too emotionally invested.

"W-W-What?"

A strange accented voice hit his ears, but he repressed his curiosity; it was best to be as impersonal as possible.

"What's your last name; we might have the tags of your relatives."

"N-no...they can't be dead."

"Please, give us your last name"

"Sc-Scarlatina."

Looking over his shoulder, Cardin watched his squad sift through the many tags they had collected over the days of conflict. Both ally and enemy were in the growing pile, all of them worthy of respect and acknowledgment.

He was soon waved over by Dove.

Moving around the still crying faunus, Cardin crossed the distance between him and his squad in silence. What he saw when he got there horrified him. At least four of this girl's family were dead; killed by his very squad, possibly himself.

Letting loose a weary sigh, Cardin shook his head and grabbed the multiple tags from Dove's hand. He dared not let the girl see before he was sure, so his hand stayed closed. He wanted to be impersonal, but a blow this heavy...he wished it on no one.

Squatting down so he was now eye level with the still frightened faunus, Cardin asked the fateful question.

"How many relatives do you have in the military?"

He could already see the gears turning in the girl's eyes; tears filled those brown orbs that had once been so hopeful.

"F-Five."

Oh dear Gods.

It was easy to say how needed this conflict was when you were simply fighting, it was harder the moment you realized that every man and woman you killed had someone back home waiting for their return. It was near impossible once you met those family members and told them the horrible truth; their loved ones would not be coming home. Not in a body bag and not in person. Only a metal plate remained.

"I'm sorry."

"H-H-How many?"

She already sounded so close to breaking, he really didn't want to see what would happen next.

"We have four, you need to identify them."

Outreaching his hand and giving the tags to her shaking hands, Cardin looked away as she looked at all four, and kept all four. Her wail of anguish would forever haunt him.

"Come on, we need to keep moving."

Silently leaving the women to their mourning, Cardin and the rest of Eagle had planned on simply letting them alone and moving on. That was until they received their horrific orders.

_"This is Brigadier General Goodwitch; The Purge Protocol is active. Adorn your gas masks and prepare for release of the weapon."_

This could not be happening. Not after all he had done to protect the faunus civilians and honor their family members' memory. They couldn't just release a bio-weapon in a city! Not with so many civilians still here! Not with those girls still mourning the loss of their relatives, not will all the death that had already occurred! There wasn't a need! Not here, not now!

Turning right around, Cardin knew what he needed to do.

"W-Winchester! Where are you going?! Get your mask on!"

"We have two extra. I know exactly who I'm giving them to."

"Y-You can't do that!"

"Why the hell not Jessica?! It's the right thing to do!"

Well, he hadn't expected Dove to defend him like that. Sky just continued to stare at the gas mask in his hands in horror, Ivory already had hers on, but was just sitting on the ground speechless. Jessica had yet to put her own on, instead she just had her head on a swivel as he approached the sounds of crying with a single goal in mind.

There was going to be enough death once that weapon was released, the least he could do was save two more _people _before they were unjustly massacred.

"Belladonna, Scarlatina, you need to get out of here."

Hateful golden and shattered brown were all he received in return.

"I'm serious. You're also going to need these to survive."

Holding out the two gas masks to the Belladonna, he watched as what he was saying came around full circle.

"Y-You can't be serious."

"There's no time for this; you don't have any more time. Please, for both out sake, put these masks on and get out of this damned city."

"I-I-"

"Take it!"

With shocking speed the faunus snatched the masks away, put one on herself, and helped the other with her own. Scarlatina was in a kind of comatose state, so she wasn't really responding to any of this. Not that Cardin could blame her, he pry wouldn't be doing much better should his family die en mass.

"Go North, and stay low, this is all I can do for you."

He only received a nod, and the last he saw of the Belladonna was her helping Scarlatina walk away from the shattered book store. At least, until the final battle of the war, where they would meet once more, only this time in a much more hostile way.


	4. Sacrifice

**Note: The sizes of the military have been greatly increased on both sides. This is not plot hole, it's simple mobilization of the general populace.**

**I had planned on waiting to publish tomorrow for max viewing (I am nothing if not a media whore) but my co-writer decided to one-up me. Not today, Arieko, not today!**

* * *

From the Ashes: The Burning

_**There is no difference between what is right and what is necessary.**_\- Spec Ops: The Line, Loading Screen

_December 15th, 2115_

_UHF Headquarters; War Room_

_Cinder Fall, Assistant of Ozpin _

The War Room was nothing but a shouting match; the holographic map and real time movements were forgotten in the verbal braw going on around the young woman known as Cinder. She had been tasked with learning how to command troops, so she had been given control of a famous group of individuals known as 'Echo Squad'.

Her master made it clear that she was to make her own mistakes; should this squad die it would be on her hands. This explained why she was currently in this room of bumbling idiots and egotistic morons. Only the Supreme Commander had any semblance of intellect at this stage, and he just sat studying the real-time map.

If only his fellow countrymen would follow his example.

They went on and on about how they needed to attack here, defend there, maneuver this way and that. None of them had vision, ambition, a pair of balls might have helped too, but that was her own opinion. She came here to learn damnit, and these people were getting in the way of that.

At least she had James Ironwood; he was one of the few competent people here, at least in her eyes. He claimed that each of these people's perspectives was worth something. Well, she begged to differ, but he was her secondary master, so she made a mental note to always pay attention to the opinions of those beneath you. Even if you think them stupid, just listen, anything outside of that is irrelevant.

"Cinder, come join me over here. Let the rabble decide on how to approach this scenario, I want your opinion on this."

Ah, there he was now.

"Yes sir, be right there."

Ironwood was the commander of the air force, as such he reacted to how the army and navy would be maneuvering their own men and equipment. He was no genius when it came to ground combat, but he knew much more than Cinder and was a close friend of Ozpin, so he was more than happy to teach her the basics.

The underling was quick to join Ironwood at the large table as the men and women around them continued to rant on like a group of animals. Sometimes they were no better than faunus, the bloody fools.

"I know what you're thinking. You think that all this debate is pointless, all sound and no action. Look at the board before you, what do_ you_ see?"

Doing as she was told, Cinder's fiery eyes scanned across the aqua holograms and took in the entire situation. It wasn't hard to see why such a fuss was being made, but this had been going on for far too long. To Cinder the solution seemed obvious, but to the rest it seemed to be so hard to grasp.

After the bio-weapon she herself created was released on Eclipse with a lethality rating of 85%, the faunus had mounted a very hate fueled and passionate counter-attack. Not to reclaim the city, oh no, but to push deep into human territory and claim a city of their own. Likely to kill the civilian population.

Nuclear Warfare had long since been declared unthinkable, neither side had any nukes to use nor the equipment to make one.

This push was done by an Army Group of over 600,000 faunus. The massive counter-offensive caught the humans by surprise, and now their own Army Corps and Groups were rushing to seal the gap and intercept the rapidly advancing enemy forces.

Inside their own territory humanity had complete air supremacy. Over the many years between the old war and the current one, countless AA and SAM emplacements were forged and strategically placed to ensure total air domination.

The first push the faunus made had been dealt with last month, their hastily formed lines held against the more spread out attacks and even with surprise on their side the enemy was unable to retake a single inch of their land. The new autonomous war machines Ozpin designed and perfected were turning the tide, hundreds of thousands of the buggers were being pumped out of the Winchester factories all over the country.

This more concentrated spearhead had shattered the defensive line it attacked and was now on a direct route to the fringe city of Eternity; the city where the Schnee dynasty had been born and raised. It was also one of the most fortified cities of the UHF.

Three human Army Corps were doing their best to catch the enemy, but the faunus were nothing if not quick. Allied forces were more than three days behind, every second they fell further behind. A garrison of 200,000 was currently defending the city, and an armor reserve counting 500 strong was steamrolling its way towards the city, but the reinforcement was going to be an estimated two days late.

Again, it was so obvious what needed to be done, but these people seemed to lack a brain.

"Will all due respect James, I don't see the problem."

"Oh? Do explain."

"Just allow the faunus to attack the city, have the three army groups continue to flank, and proceed as planned with armored reinforcement. The faunus will be outmaneuvered and obliterated on all sides."

"Cinder, it's never that simple. We took a city in under 48 hours with far less manpower and equipment. You don't think they can do better? Plus, you forget our air dominance. You didn't even mention any airstrikes or use of our air force."

With a frown Cinder reworked her plan, but did not see where he was going with this. There was no other option.

"Since we are going to assume the city falls so easily, which I object to, we will stall with constant air bombardment and firebombs. That should allow for proper reinforcement and give our flanking forces time to catch up."

Ironwood just smiled. How foolish of this young woman to assume she knew everything. Military command was not as easy as one might first suspect.

"How can we be sure that they won't turn and decimate our Corps?"

"...What?"

"If we slow them down too much, they may simply turn and face their pursuers. They are not guaranteed to attack the city, their course only suggests as much. Three separated and exhausted Corps against one organized and mobile Army Group does not bode well for us. "

"Okay, so we don't slow them down, we only harass them to dwindle their numbers. They might take the city, but we will be able to take it right back due to them being cut off from supplies. Starve them out."

"Once more, you fail to see the folly. If they take the city, then citizens will die. Once citizens start to die, support for the war might dwindle or increase. Can we risk having war fever fade? Can we gamble with the propaganda machine we have, or are we better of sacrificing many thousands of lives simply to keep the morale advantage?"

He made it seem like there was no possible way of winning this encounter, as if every decision was the wrong one. There was always a right choice, you just had to find one.

"There's always a correct choice."

His smirk only increased in smugness. He was enjoying this little lesson.

"No, there's not always a correct or right decision. We failed to see this coming, we failed to prepare for such a organized counter-attack, as such we must now play damage control. No matter what we choose we will lose countless men, women, and valuable equipment."

"T-That's insane. There must be a counter!"

"This isn't a chess board, you can't press pause or take turns like in a video game. Even as we speak these forces are moving closer and closer to their own respective annihilation. Again, we, as commanders, failed. Now our loyal followers are going to have to pay the price in blood and tears."

At long last Cinder began to understand. This argument wasn't about how to gain victory, that had already slipped though their grasp, they hadn't ever wanted to engage in this battle. The human leadership had lost the moment this army crossed the defensive line, now it was controlling to what degree they lost.

The sheer amount of foresight needed to wage a modern war was mind-blowing to the weak, but brilliant to the strong. Those who could understand such three dimensional chess would forever be above their peers. Those who could play the game were on an entirely different level.

Those who could master the art of war were Gods among men. Once you could out-think your opponent before he made the first move, you were unbeatable.

Like lightning it struck her.

All while this was happening, countless other moves and options were available for those units, as well as for other units on the line. This break in the line was simply a small battle when compared to the grand scheme of this conflict.

Millions were going to war, they had far too many options and not nearly enough time. They could continue their own attack through Eclipse and spearhead towards the next city. This would render their supply line thin but also strike another major blow against the faunus war machine.

Or they could do an amphibious landing deep behind enemy lines, drawing men from the front and give themselves the opportunity to push on the weakened defenders. Allowing for a full scale unilateral offensive into the faunus county.

Still, many more moves were open to exploitation. All of these maneuvers had their risks, their counters, their gambles. Even so, it was not only the offensive one had to worry about. You needed to guess and plan defensive actions around your opponents possible offensive options.

Even if you did get everything right, there was no certainty that victory would be had. The real world was not a world of numbers, statistics, and simulation. Morale, on the ground officer competence, charisma, past experiences, weather, even down to the jamming of a single gun.

All of it effected how a battle would play out, and all of it was uncontrollable. War wasn't a game of moving pieces on a board, nor was it done in concrete phases and steps. Plans always change, battles always go awry, people's opinions change.

War is a game of proactive maneuvering and reactive movements. Forever changing and always dynamic, the battlefield of the war room is always in turmoil as the enemy moves and you react with either planned contingencies or heart-stopping panic.

It's all about the planning, the macromanegment of a war wins or loses the conflict. You can have the bravest and best soldiers to ever grace the face of Remnant, you will still lose if you fail to anticipate your opponents actions, or make organized offensive plans.

Even the most heroic and skilled of us are mortal; death waits for no one.

"I see you're beginning to fully grasp the scale and level at which you must think to competently command. Now can you see why every point made here is valid? Every opinion has weight, but we have not the time to weigh it. That is why the Supreme Commander stays silent, he listens and thinks, only speaking once a consensus in his mind has been reached and every situation he believes to be plausible plays out."

Yes, she understood. The only pieces on the table were not just those approaching Eternity. The entire table was full of seen and unseen players moving and communicating. Hundreds of thousands of possible moves lay before them and it would take only the most ambitious, the most intelligent, the most charismatic, and most caring of leaders to lead humanity to victory.

With their entire populations mobilized, many millions were ready to be either heroes or villains.

Fire in her eyes, Cinder knew that she was this person. She was the one who could lead humanity down a different path, one none before had thought of or considered. She was going to rise above them all and show them what a real leader ought to be.

The rise of Cinder Fall was at hand, and none could have predicted what this woman would do in the coming years.

* * *

__**"When the sword is once drawn, the passions of men observe no bounds of moderation." **__\- __Alexander Hamilton

_October 20th, 2115_

_Eternity Defensive Line, 30 min until enemy contact_

_Private Yin Xioa Long, alongside Corporal Summer Rose_

"I wonder what the girls are up to right about now."

With a startle Yin was awoken from her quick nap. She had stayed up all night praying to every deity ever conceived of that her and Summer would make it through this day, and the hellish days to come.

"Well, Ruby's pry begging for more cookies while Yang teases her about gaining weight...oh, I miss those two."

Looking over to the woman she used to despise, Yin couldn't stop the smile that came to her face when she saw her. Summer Rose was a very kind and gentle soul, and despite the mistakes she made well over a decade ago, she was at her core a very good person. Even going so far as to sacrifice her own happiness with her daughter to allow Ruby to live a normal life.

Not that Yin made it easy for her either, it wasn't easy to remember how harsh she had been towards Summer. Honestly, she couldn't have know the man she had slept with was married, she was only told once she became pregnant with Ruby.

Yet, somehow, her fool of a husband and Summer had gotten her to adopt the girl into her household. She had yet to regret it; Ruby was an adorable girl with a heart of gold. Yang had taken to her instantly, constantly being the protective yet teasing elder sister. The two were inseparable most of the time.

Summer visited the kids often, though even with this it was rather obvious Ruby harbored some ill will. Neither Rose had yet to truly confront the other about how they felt, and this war might forever rob the two of the closure they desperately needed.

Yang...Gods, please let her be safe. She felt bad that Ruby was after Yang on her list of priorities, she loved the girl, but not nearly as much as Yang. If anyone truly loved Ruby it was Summer. A shame she didn't have the ability to care for the girl

"-elllloooooo? Yin, we are about to be in the middle of a war zone! Now is not the time for zoning out!"

Oh, Summer was usually a reserved individual, but once she got stressed...well, it got rather amusing.

"I mean, you can't be doing that once the fighting starts and everything's going boom and people start dying and what if you die and-"

She was currently pacing and rambling, something Ruby inherited.

"Summer, dear, we're going to be alright."

That stopped her in her tracks, and soon the Corporal was just blushing and standing with her arms crossed.

"The defenses here are more than capable of dealing with any kind of attack. We just need to fire a few rounds off. Since we didn't buy the propaganda like most of our neighbors, we won't really have to kill anyone."

At this Summer looked down and seemed to get clammy. Surely this arbiter of kindness had not been brought down by all the lies and lust for war? Yin sure hadn't, the only reason she was here was so her family could avoid conscription.

"N-Not to drop a bomb last second or anything but...don't you think this was kinda needed?"

Shaking her head and allowing her long blonde locks to reflect the sunlight, Yin's lilac eyes hardened as she bore into the younger woman and supposed superior.

"No, I don't, this is the ambition of man getting us all killed. We were fine until we started stirring the pot."

"Maybe...but how long would that last? Can you seriously say you're okay having our kids live in fear their entire lives?"

Ah, that bloody talking point. The capitalization on the fears of mothers and fathers; disgusting.

"I'd rather our kids grow up in a tense ceasefire than a war torn dystopia."

"B-But we are winning. So, it won't be war torn, just a bit damaged."

"Come now, is that unnaturally highlighted hair messing with your brain? It's all a lie, we don't know whose winning what, this attack shows not all is as they claim it is."

"Ah, maybe. Either way, scouts reporting that the army is about to crest the hill 3 miles out. Ready to do this?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready, it's sad that anyone would, but we don't have a choice. Alright Summer, let's kick some ass."

"Here I thought you'd be moody all day."

With a soft punch to the shoulder Yin scoffed, could you really blame her? She was about to kill people, not exactly an exciting venture worthy of enthusiasm.

The defense of Eternity was going to be a simple affair. The city was situated on a steep incline and in the side of a mountain. The only way in was up a steep hill, one that was heavily fortified with every weapon conceivable.

The land before the highway into the city was not nothing but line after endless line of trench, each with many bunkers of concrete and barbed wire. Dug into the mountainside were more concrete creations, each housing a different weapon ready to destroy anything that dare to attack Eternity.

SAM sites, artillery positions, point-defense systems, missile firing locations; everything was ready and aimed at the barren, snow covered landscape before the entrance of the city. The Schnee had yet to evacuate, most citizens were unable to due to the rapid movement of the attackers and their own reluctance to move away from their homes.

Homes that were the most heavily defended outside of Vale itself, and that was saying something.

But now was the time for those defenses to be tested, the few tanks they had deployed and switched into their walker modes. The tracks of traditional tanks could now morph into four heavily armored legs and allow the tank to walk, this had a few advantages, especially when it came to holding a position.

Gauss cannons were charged, anti-tank guns loaded, even a few experimental rail guns were charged and ready to face overwhelming odds.

The 200,000 strong garrison was not going to let these faunus roll over their homeland, they were going to fight for every inch lost. There was no surrender here, no code of warfare, no honor system, no mercy; this was total war.

There would be no quarter.

Then the very ground seemed to vibrate as over six-hundred thousand faunus infantry, tanks, tank destroyers, infantry carriers, and other various pieces of military hardware crested the hill in one humongous rectangle. Of course, they had scouted this battlefield already, satellite imaging and stealth planes allowed for it, so the plan was already in motion.

Was that thunder they heard?

The airspace above the defensive trench lines was soon filled with brilliant explosions and shrapnel fell as the AAS systems came online, practically neutering the effectiveness of artillery. However, that wouldn't stop the advance of the faunus. Even with their artillery utterly worthless they marched on.

Maybe some return fire would solve that.

The few artillery positions they had unleashed their own roars in response to the failed attack. The army was groups extremely tightly, meaning a single hit would prove to be ridiculously lethal.

Not a single shell landed.

"What the hell? Did we miss that horribly?"

"I...I don't think that's even possible."

The human line whispered as more rumbles were followed by painful silence. What was going on? Why were none of their shells landing?

They got their answer in a form the never expected.

Without a single warning explosion rippled across the lines; concrete, dirt, and human body-parts flew towards the heavens before gravity pulled them back down. With the humans being suppressed by their own attacks, the faunus military finally made their move.

Breaking from the tightly night formation, one-hundred thousand faunus infantry broke from the lines in a slow jog, with infantry vehicles and tanks at their sides. The 600k man army fanned out, thinning their numbers and increasing the combat width.

They were only two miles out and gaining.

The human line unleashed everything they had, but nothing seemed to work.

Suddenly, an ungodly amount of missiles came screeching out from behind the hill and flew wildly at the human line. Instantly the many automated defenses began to shoot the deadly rockets down, but there were so many!

Only 500 meters out, the projectiles that remained opened and released many smaller rockets, ones that the humans had no hope of tracking, let alone destroying.

The many masses of smaller bombs landed, and the land was utter obliterated.

Small, high yield rockets landed with deadly precision in bunkers, trenches, gun emplacements, automated guns, hard targets; the entire human line began to wane, collapsing as their hardware was devastated.

Still, the faunus were not done, it was time to roll out the coup de grace.

"Summer, come on, we are leaving!"

"B-But-"

"Sputter later! I'm going to live to see my daughter, you should do the same!"

With that Yin was the first, but most certainly not the last, human to run from the front-line. Summer wasn't far behind her, the two females ran for all they were worth through the chaos of sustained bombardment in the desperate hope of seeing their loved ones again.

They hadn't left a second too soon, the faunus were about to deliver the death blow.

Now only a mile out, the few rail gun emplacements that dotted the rocky cliffs opened up. Firing high density rounds at just below the speed of sound, the sheer velocity of the rounds broke through whatever impregnable defense the faunus had up as regular bullets, tank rounds, and artillery shells simply rebounded in thin air and flew right back at their creators.

Massive explosions rocked the faunus line, dirt went meters upon meters high as the kinetic energy was transferred into the ground beneath them. Tanks were gutted, men and women vaporized, humongous craters made; but it was too little too late.

With the human's defenses down, more and more shells rained down onto the crumbling line that shielded the city. However, that wasn't what the great war crime that was to be done this day. No, they knew what these humans had done to Eclipse. They knew what these bastards had done.

They intended to make these animals suffer; for every drop of faunus blood spilled a river of human blood would run. More shells rained down, but then a few broke open in a brilliant flash and small flare-like objects fell.

Only these were no flares. The white flame landed, and the horror that followed was indescribable.

White Phosphorous was horrifying in the early 21st century; it was even more so in the 22nd.

It was hotter, crueler; the toxicity of the smoke was increased and it burned though everything it touched. Painful cries and wails of anguish filled the line as the human's skin was scorched beyond recognition.

Flesh was melted, metal turned molten, lungs filled with lethal gas as their owners gasped for breath. Hell-fire spread through the trenches, fortresses of concrete burned from the inside out as their occupants were turned to charred husks.

Yet still, the unforgiving bombardment did not end.

Thousands upon thousands died, be it from fire, shrapnel, or explosives. Blood boiled as the ground continued to be engulfed in flame. There were few survivors, hardly any really.

Everything was silent save for the moans and cries of the dying; the faunus were at the gates.

Strolling though the wasteland, the masked faunus finished off the remaining humans with a bullet to the skull or knife to the throat. Few had pity, and even fewer truly objected to this. How could they? These people had killed millions of civilians with a bio-weapon. These were soldiers they were killing here.

However, this small killing was nothing compared with what they planned to do with the city. Oh, nothing was going to stop them from reaping vengeance for those fallen. The defenders were crushed, their line broken, and the civilians had no way out.

The time for decency had passed. It was time to show these filthy humans what it felt like when you found out your family had been massacred.

* * *

"Shit shit shit shit-"

"Rose, enough."

"Did you see what happened back there?! Did you _see _that?!"

"Yes, and I wish I hadn't, now keep moving! Our only way outa here is Schnee Mining HQ."

"I don't see why you thin-"

Whatever Summer was going to say was cut off by the sounds of concrete crumbling and High Explosive rounds falling. Civilians poured from the buildings and madly ran through the streets, cars ran over those who dared get in their way and all the while shell after shell pelted Eternity in an effort to test its name.

Still, there were stalwart defenders, and as the two mothers made conscripts desperately ran for their lives, many more were fighting to try and save their own. With the initial line in ashes, all the remaining infantry and few tanks left were defending the city they were tasked with holding.

The city limits were breached, but the citizens of Eternity would not die on their knees begging for mercy. Many went to get their own weapons at home in hopes of buying more time for their remaining family to evacuate. The air force was on the way, and with them came the hope of survival.

Tank shells decimated towers of concrete, metal, and glass; the defenders continued to desperately hold as mortar and artillery fire turned their cover and comrades to dust. Even with such spirit, the city was breached, and soon T-92 tanks were rolled down the streets of Eternity, killing all who had the audacity to be human.

"Dammit Yin, we're not going to make it!"

"Keep moving!"

Rockets flew skyward and slammed into the skyscrapers, raining down debris on the fleeing civilians as the towers that once stood for human perseverance were now nothing but broken shells of their former selves.

White Phosphorous poured into the streets; men, woman, children, everyone was turned to charred and disfigured bodies as the faunus blitzkrieg the city and left the streets stained red wherever they went.

_"Attention all civilians; please make your way to the air pads in the middle of the city. Attention all civilians; please make your wa-"_

"Yin, Schnee Mining is before that! We might make it!"

"What have I been telling you?! Please, Summer, just keep running."

Gunshots were being fired in all directions as the streets turned into corridors of death as the humans and faunus fought for every inch gained. This escape was going to be one hell of a story to tell, that was for sure.

Turning a corner, the two mothers were met with the sight of the T-97 Heavy Tank. This monstrosity had twin 180mm smooth-bore cannons attached, with two .50 cals and a proximity detection system built in. Swiveling its turret towards the frozen females, who were a simple 100 meters away; a beyond easy shot, the gunner took aim.

Only, it was not yet time for Yin or Summer to meet their maker.

Suddenly two Bullheads appeared on both ends of the street, their wings open and missiles ready to fire. In under a second two volleys of deadly projectiles were thrown at the war machine, and it was turned to metal slag instantly.

Finding the will to breathe, the two women continued their desperate gambit for safety. Only they were not the only ones.

Now with countless aircraft providing close air support, the people of the city doubled their efforts for escape. This was their chance! Rescue was here! The remaining men and women of the garrison fought bravely, never surrendering a single millimeter of asphalt without a struggle.

The few remaining tanks and tank destroyers rampaged through the enemy lines, doing everything in their power to stall the ruthless offensive the was fueled with nothing but hate and malice.

Even with all this resistance, the faunus were right on the tail of Yin and Summer. Bullets whizzed by their figures as more hell-fire was rained down from the heavens to pummel to the humans into the ground. Black rock and concrete flew meters high as glass fell from above; Bullhead missiles were fired as their dual-miniguns chewed into faunus armor and flesh alike.

Running through the destroyed glass entryway to Schnee HQ, the two conscripts sprinted for the elevator and slammed the up button, and for the first time today they were going to have to fight.

Spinning as their savior made its way down from the top, the two women brandished their assault rifles and fired at their pursuers. Both in and out of combat, the two were like sisters; connected in ways many could only hope to understand, the two mothers stood their ground as more and more faunus poured the fire on their position.

With little cover and no help, the only thing that saved the two from certain death was the small sound of 'ding' as their ride arrived.

Standing and running into their saving grace, Yin yanked Summer into the compact box of metal and smashed the close button, followed by the '101 floor'. Gunfire flowing into the metal cage, the two were forced to hide on opposite ends as the doors slowly, painfully slowly, shut its door.

"Well...that was a thing."

"I swear to the Gods, if this doesn't work, I'm jumping off the top."

"I just might join you."

...

...

"This thing is slow."

"Rose, don't talk down to it, the walls have ears."

"Huh. Never thought bout that...sorry elevator!"

"...Ruby really is your child."

"Trust me, I know."

"I think that might be a bad thing."

"Offensive much! Uncalled for."

A heavy silence overcame them as the top floor was coming within reach.

"Ya know, Yin, we don't know if there is even a Schnee here."

"We all have to take risks, hopefully the Gods are looking out for us today."

"...Somehow I think they abandoned us a long time ago."

_99..._

_100..._

_101..._

_Ding!_

Weapons raised, the two went out onto the rooftop with a helipad on it only to come across something they never imagined.

Schnee mercenaries were fighting off a team of, what appeared to be, covert operatives as a Bullhead hovered just above the pad, waiting for its precious cargo to arrive. The mercs were losing; hard. Their bodies littered the rooftop as the pinpoint accuracy of their highly trained and physically superior counterparts decimated their ranks.

Why hadn't they left yet?

"Mommy!"

Yin got her answer in the form of something utterly horrifying, at least for a mother to see.

Laying down as the stony surface of the rooftop was none other than a small girl, crying and sniveling beyond control as gunfire raced overhead and hit around her. Her normally white hair was covered in dirt, with her dress fairing no better.

It reminded Yin and Summer of the children they had back home, and looking at the aircraft more closely, saw to struggling figures trying to push past government troops inside the cargo bay.

The complete tragedy that was going to happen here broke Yin's heart, and even though she might never see Yang again because of this, she knew exactly what she had to do.

Throwing down her rifle, Yin sprinted forward with only one goal in mind. Time seemed to slow as Summer, shocked to her core, tried her best to cover her enemy made sister. The faunus were dug in on the far side, hiding behind ventilation and concrete. She couldn't do much. Running through the hell-fire, Yin hardly noticed when a bullet went right through a calf. Her adrenaline crazed body and mind prevented her from feeling a thing.

Eyes cold and hard as steel, Yin scooped up the crying teen and shielded her from the gunfire that raged around them. More metal was pumped into her torso, but that was covered with armor, and some even seared her skin as they skimmed mere nano-meters away.

Still, Yin did not falter.

Sprinting forward, Yin made her way without a single misstep up the metal stairs that lead up to the Bullhead. On the final step, Yin finally began to feel the full weight of what she was doing come crashing down on her in the form of a bullet to the shoulder.

Stumbling on, Yin, in her final moments of life, thought of many things.

Her husband, Xin, and how horribly devastated he would be when this news reached him.

Summer, and how, despite their very rocky beginning, had become a sister in bond and blood.

Ruby, and how that adorable ball of energy with her insatiable curiosity would one day grow to be a clone of her mother. So kind, so happy...

Her parents, how they passed away a few years ago in bed together smiles on their faces. They had raised her well, never once mistreating her or even raising a voice in her direction. She loved them all so much; they had all more than earned a special spot in her heart.

But Yang...

She was never going to see Yang again; never see her goofy smile, hear those corny puns, bear witness to the first guy or girl she dated, give romantic advice, comfort her in times of need, tuck her into bed. None of it, all of it was going to be gone, wiped away by this horrid war.

She wasn't going to be a mother for much longer, all because she had to save another from feeling the same sense of loss she was right now.

And Yin wouldn't have had it any other way.

Carrying her burden the few more steps she needed, Yin felt a weight leave her shoulders when her dulling purple eyes met the tear filled eyes of Alexander and Althaia Schnee. In those moments, she saw the love those two had for their daughter, and Yin knew she had done the right thing.

However, this deed would cost her dearly.

Rounds riddled her body, and she knew blood was seeping from her mouth. Somewhere in the distance Summer was calling her name, but it didn't really register. Weiss was safe with her parents, staring in admiration and horror as Yin fell to her knees just outside the slowly rising Bullhead.

Oddly enough, Yin felt no pain as she hung there, head down and back hunched. She only felt contentment seep into her mind and body as her lungs exhaled their final breath.

She'd done the right thing; saved a life rather than took it. Sacrificed her own happiness for another's.

True heroes don't have the luxury of choosing to come home.

True heroes don't hesitate when called upon.

True heroes die; but not for duty, honor, family, ideology, country, or some abstract idea of a better tomorrow. They die saving others for the simple reason of that they can, for that is all reason enough.


	5. Echo Rising

**Finally an update! I'm far from dead folks, just school and work leave me with little free time. Plus, this is a 10k chapter, so it took much longer than any other chapter to write and (attempt poorly) to edit. If any of you want to beta, go ahead and ask, cuse I can't beta my own stuff.**

**In relation to this story; depending on the length/severity of my partner's hiatus I'll pry be able to squeeze in a few more war chapters before I move along to the 'present' storyline in Rise. This will mark a change in the writing style I do for ashes, and it has yet to be determined/seen if this is a major or subtle difference. It's just going to be more story and character driven than my current chapters. **

**Enough rambling, lets get it on!**

From the Ashes: The Burning

Echo Rising

_"War does not determine who is right-only who is left."_ \- Bertrand Russell

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos had undergone some...interesting physical changes since her placement in Echo.

The first thing one would notice was her eyes; they seemed to glow an enthrall green in both light and darkness. She had striking eyes before, but these new orbs of green put those to shame. A more subtle change was in her skin, every now and again her veins would pulse the color blue. Illuminating both herself and the area around her; it was quite the site to behold.

If Jaune were to try and get intimate with the Spec-ops soldier, he would begin to notice even more differences when compared to the Pyrrha of old.

She was much stronger than she had been previously, strong enough to rip a door off a car with little effort. Her skin was also less malleable, not stone hard, but not nearly as easily pushed or pulled either. When compared to the rest of the human population, it was easy to tell the difference.

For the most part, that was all the apparent changes Cinder and Ozpin had Echo undergo. How wrong that assumption was. It had taken them a full year to implant the cybernetics and nanomachines into the entirety of Echo, then wait for the humans to recover.

Their bones were much stronger, able to take twice the pressure a normal bone could. Reflexes were enhanced, reaction time decreased, precision increased, thought speed and complexity dramatically improved. Even with all those enhancements, none were more crucial than the mind and technology links the nanobots that ran through their bodies allowed.

Echo was now a completely self contained unit; they didn't need to say a word to give orders or receive information. It was almost instantly transported to the needed parties via thought. This ability also extended to their gear, to an extent; the specialized equipment they carried needed no manual activation procedure. You think it, it obeys.

The breakthrough in man-machine synchronization was incredibly expensive, the only reason it even existed was Cinder's pushing of Ozpin to allocate more resources to that division. She saw the potential, Ozpin trusted her, and thus the future of warfare was made.

Reduced reaction times.

Increased strength and durability.

Faster thought ability and higher thinking skills.

Instantaneous communication through thought alone.

Increased regenerative ability.

All this and so much more.

Indeed, the future soldier was a force to be reckoned with.

Radios would be rendered useless, communication wouldn't be stalled, tanks and other mechanized machines of war could now be driven with fewer people but with more efficiency and lethality.

This was, of course, once it became mass producible and they got the population to accept the physical changes. The research head was already discussing the move with Oobleck and his political allies.

Echo itself had eleven men and women ready to serve their handler, Cinder, at a moment's notice now that they were officially cleared for combat.

First there was Amelia Winchester. One of the many greenhorns of the group, she was one of the more silent among the squad and had little to say to anyone. Unless you pissed her off, then she got real wordy. Much like her brother when it came to fashion sense, the Winchester attempted to cover up most of her body in camouflage or some other kind of clothing. She also wore a pair of tinted goggles, hiding where she was looking from prying eyes. The Winchester's weapon of choice was the Barret REC7 and tinted a dark red.

All in all, despite the family rivalry, Pyrrha didn't mind her all too much.

Next was a girl by the name of Neo, no last name was given or found. She was an odd one to say the least. Her ARX-160 was colored with a mix of brown and pink, further accentuating her own varied eye and hair color. Pyrrha had the urge to ask if it was natural, but refrained. The question seemed rude.

Personality wise Neo appeared to be rather playful; teasing any who she wanted to and backing off once it was clear only she was getting amusement. A wee bit over-confident for Pyrrha's tastes, but the girl was in no way arrogant. Just a tad bit condescending. She too had seen little combat outside of the training grounds, and her outfit was pretty military standard aside from the random splash pink thrown about.

Again, someone whom she could easily get along with. The two had already began to develop somewhat of a friendship.

Following Neo was yet another female, only this one was not one Pyrrha saw in a good light. Emerald Sustrai was second in line for the squad's chain of command, and this was purely based on the fact that she was Cinder's lover. At least, that was what Pyrrha believed to be the reason for her high position in the assembled team.

Still, not even Pyrrha could deny how attractive and exotic Emerald was. She wasn't even bisexual or gay, and from time to time the red-head would catch herself staring. Cinder's play toy had dark skin, but that wasn't what made her stand out, it was her naturally occurring mint green hair and dark, almost blood red eyes. It was one of the more exotic sights Pyrrha had seen, and that was saying something. She had traveled all over the world on diplomacy missions prior to this after-all.

The crimson-eyed soldier seemed to know this too, and wore less than tasteful and practical clothing. She did indeed wear standard issue pants, but she forwent the practically mandatory headgear in favor of absolutely nothing. She just wanted to show off her well maintained hair. For her chest and abdomen areas she wore a black skin-fitting fabric that had more technology in it than met the eye.

The fibers of the rather revealing clothing quite literally changed shape and fit as her body underwent changes. If she got hot, it loosened; cold, tightened. Still, it offered no protection against bullets, and was only wore to show off her assets.

Her personality wasn't any better. Emerald prided herself in her stealth abilities, and more often than not would demonstrate these by swiping away possessions and not giving them back until the other person practically begged for them, or their commanding officer ordered it to be done. Combine that with a relatively childish and arrogant attitude, and you have someone that not even Pyrrha would want to get along with.

Her only redeeming factor was her rather badass experimental assault-rifle. The IMBEL she used was equipped with holographic sights, as well as a grenade launcher. They didn't need thermal or night vision, not after what Cinder had done to their eyes.

Still, at least Emerald was no Mercury. He was someone that Pyrrha may actually grow to hate.

The boy oozed arrogance and superiority complex. Sadly, he also had the skill to back that almighty attitude up. Even with her own family's training regiment Pyrrha had hardly beat the silver-haired bastard in hand to hand combat, it being even closer with weapons involved. Truly, he was a great fighter.

It was his attitude that needed improvement.

He thought himself a jester, with all those sarcastic and supposedly witty remarks. He was a smartass, an annoying one at that, and Pyrrha was growing to dislike him more and more as time wore on. At least he had sensible equipment.

His entire upper and lower body was covered in digital camouflage, matching his silver hair, but he too wore no helmet. He was close friends with Emerald, so that was likely how he got away from that regulation. His weapon of choice was the IMI TAR-21, and used custom 45 round clips. It too was silver; the amount of silver the kid wore was ludicrous and rather tasteless.

Another aggravating aspect of his personality was just how much he wanted Emerald. Their little banter was full of sexual tension, mostly if not fully one sided. They were actually in one right now.

"Holy shit Mercury. Do you ever just shut-up?"

"You know you love me."

"If that means I would love to knock your head off, then sure, I'm completely and totally in love with you."

"Knew it, no one can resist my romantic charm or witty personality."

"Conceited much? Go drool after someone else, you blubbering idiot. I have Cinder, and no one is going to be able to do better than that."

"Only the truth, women love the whole arrogant asshole cliché. Watch; hey, Amelia! I know you're throbbing with want over there, but mind helping me out?"

Let's just tune that out for a bit. I still have some exposition to write.

Next on the roster of Echo was someone rather out of place. A man by the name of Bismarck Schnee, and he was a rather interesting character, one Pyrrha had yet to fully formulate an opinion on.

He was rather quiet, but not nearly as silent as the Winchester. He often commented on the war, or politics, sometimes even the inner workings of propaganda and how the masses were being mislead with the false information the government and media was spreading around.

Hell, he even looked the political part, with his snow-white hair slicked back and face always clean shaven. The Schnee's piercing sapphire eyes were always darting about, intent on finding a threat or decoding a potentially hidden message or agenda. He was a paranoid man, a shame for someone so young, he was only 24 years of age and already he was cynical beyond belief. Sadder still was how often he was right in his paranoia.

He never told any of them how he came to be a part of the military, as he was a Schnee and the military was seen as a lowly commoners job meant for the idiotic who would die for arbitrary lines on a map in his family. At least it was obvious where his cynical worldview came from; Schnee were infamous for the emotional detachment and cold social disposition.

Let it be known that he was very proud of his upbringing, and displayed his family crest proudly all over his equipment. From his boots to his helmet the Schnee family crest was proudly displayed on each item of his uniform.

That was something the young Nikos could respect; being proud of one's upbringing and family was quite a good quality to have. He also proved to be well versed in philosophy, something Pyrrha too had to give him commendation for.

However, he was also a very blunt individual, quite past the point of being rude and often times being needlessly tasteless in his explanations or comments. It was very offensive, something Pyrrha couldn't stand, and served only to cause emotional harm. He was also a part of the family that started this war, but the young warrior could separate the individual from the collective, and didn't hold that too much against him.

This Schnee was packing heavy heat; he was the group's sniper and scout. This meant he was getting the most advanced weapon out of all of them, and Cinder didn't disappoint.

He would be using a .50 caliber EXACTO semi-automatic sniper rifle known as Váli. It was heavily reminiscent of the old Barrett designs, with the key aesthetic differences being the length of the barrel. Rather than being 29 inches, it was now a jaw dropping 37, and the Schnee, who was 6' 6", had quite the time hefting the thing around.

The true beauty of the gun is it's range; effective out to roughly 3,700 meters and unknown a max range of over 7,400. The bullet leaves the chamber at mach 2.8, and the Schnee carries multiple ammunition types. From anti-material rounds capable of tearing vehicles apart to ol fashion standard ammunition, he had it all. No small thanks due to their strength enhancements.

The EXACTO ammunition was a guided sniper round, and hardly ever missed. Truly, that weapon was the God of Death on the battlefield.

Only a few more people to go, I promise.

Neptune was a very...unique case for the female Nikos. He was similar in personality to Mercury, only he just flirted with everyone equally, and was less of a general stuck-up dickhead. Sure, he tried multiple times to get in Pyrrha's pants, but he wasn't malicious about it, and seemed more like an automatic or learned reaction than anything.

His affinity for blue was also like Mercury's for silver, and he too wore standard military body-armor AND helmet, just with blue digital style camouflage. He was less smart-ass and more joker than Mercury, plus his jokes were actually humorous. He also lacked a stick the size of Schnee headquarters up his ass, now it was only the size of a moderate sky-scraper.

A small improvement, but one Pyrrha wasn't about to complain about.

He would be using the XM8 assault rifle, only with it being modified to fire 7.62x39 ammunition to give it more stopping and penetrating power. The gun was colored a dark blue, almost navy, and used custom made 45 round clips.

Outside of carrying more grenades than the others of Echo did, there wasn't much more to say on his combat ability or equipment. He was a much more tolerable and likable Mercury, but still somewhat like the silver loving original, so Pyrrha steered clear as often as she could.

This did it for the greenhorns of Echo, next were the veterans, and they were an interesting bunch to say the least.

William Robertson, a veteran of many internal human conflicts and one of the most emotionally dead individuals Pyrrha has ever had the displeasure of meeting. Don't get her wrong, she liked the guy to some extent, it was just...sad to see. What could cause someone to be so dead inside?

The young Nikos shivered at the possibilities.

His black, nearly soulless eyes reflect his personality well. Samantha and Natalie both heavily respect the 30 year old man, and it's a well known fact that the three are the only remaining people left of the 'old' Echo. The others...well, they are all gone, killed or vanished on an operation far above her pay grade.

All she knew was that Cinder, Cinder of all people, looked at the three with pity in her eyes, and that alone said volumes.

Short brown hair, standard equipment, 5' 10", no eccentricities; he was truly a soldier without anything left. He wasn't charismatic, caring, talkative, anything really; a simple shell of his former self. The two remaining females of old Echo seemed fine with this, or had at least come to terms with it, and let him be for the most part.

Unsurprisingly he and Winchester got along quite well. She had already been accepted into the 'old' circle socially.

He did not talk much, but, when he told you to do something, you better well do it. Mercury had defiantly told the veteran no before; he was on the floor with both his arms nearly snapped out of their sockets before the rest could even blink.

William was a brutal leader, one who did not tolerate insubordinate bullshit, and Pyrrha was quite alright with that. With this group of people, she dare call it necessary. He carried an AK-12, a simple and crude weapon, with no other modifications.

Next in line is Samantha. No known last name, and if she does have one none that know of it share it. Not even Emerald knew it, and she had read all their files already due to her "connections".

She has red hair that goes to the shoulder blades, sea-foam green eyes and is the same height as William. A few scars litter her face, but the rest of her body is fully covered in navy blue military standard equipment. Unlike her commander, her eyes shine bright with a fire, a fire for something Pyrrha can't truly understand or interpret.

Is it vengeance? Glory? Love? What is it that keeps her soul alight while her comrade's soul dims?

An interesting question indeed.

Samantha is agile to the extreme, and uses the P90 due to her quick nature. The only modification is the use of a 100 round clip, and that was something Cinder grumbled about making, as it wasn't easy to modify the P90 for such a load capacity. She is a minimalist, and carries hardly anything outside of her weapon and a pistol into battle.

Outside of that, Pyrrha knows little of Samantha, expect that she's 27, as does the rest of 'new' Echo excluding maybe Amelia.

And then there was two.

Natalie Grizzle, the last one of 'old' Echo. She is of dark skin completion, much like Emerald, and is the talker of old Echo. Natalie loves to talk, that much is obvious, but just why she does Pyrrha can't truly decipher. Is it a way to cope with what she's seen? A way to keep dark thoughts at bay? Perhaps she just likes socializing?

No matter the case, Natalie and Pyrrha get along quite well, and are great friends for the amount of time they've known each other. Her hair is black, but her eyes are white and not pupiless eyes. An interesting image to say the least, a black dot for eyes. It was rather unnerving at first, but the Nikos got over it rather quickly.

The cheery 25 year old came from Vale, and her parents were also military. She came from a military family, and was pretty pro-war. That was a wedge, but again, not something the two couldn't overcome with time. Outside of being a happy ball of energy, Natalie was content to cuddle with Samantha. The two weren't intimately involved in any romantic sense, they were just close friends, to the point of sisters as she once described it.

Natalie was the most versatile of the team when it came to weapons, and as such used a different weapon every time she went on an op. Her equipment, like the rest of old Echo, was standard and had little to no color added.

With a height of 5' 6", Natalie was one of the smaller members of Echo, but one of the happiest.

And finally, we have Armatus Nikos, a veteran of human conflict whose squad was separated after a classified operation. Not even she knew what it was, nor did her mother. The government had that operation completely under wraps.

He was, essentially, a walking tank. With all the others of Echo having an athletic build, Armatus had the physique of a body-builder. Coming in at a height of 6' 3", the elder Nikos was a force to be reckoned with. His equipment was unlike the rest of Echo; it consisted of thin angular armor designed to bounce bullets. The suit had complete environmental control as to allow for comfortable combat, and in combat Armatus carried a bloody minigun. The gun ammunition system was in the suit, and he had underwent special enhancement as to allow for the carrying of this massive amount of weight.

His armor was colored red, with a large golden phoenix plastered right on the chest piece of the suit. He was proud of his Nikos heritage, as well as his military past, and presented both through this color scheme and symbolism.

He was Echo's heavy hitter. The one who cleared a room with brute force and routed the enemy through shock and awe tactics.

Personality wise, he was rather unstable. Susceptible to sudden bouts of anger or joy, he took medication to stabilize his inner world. When it did work, he was more a gentle giant type than angry killing machine, but once that switch was flipped he became something other than human.

Outside of operations he wore simple shorts and a t-shirt. He had military standard hair length, and like most Nikos, had very red hair. Unlike most Nikos, his eyes were a deep orange with yellow running round the outside of the iris.

Only Pyrrha, high ranking Nikos, and the most powerful of politicians knew what Armatus really was. A human-faunus hybrid naturally conceived, not even Armatus himself knows this. Due to that not so small secret, Pyrrha has yet to bring herself to talk to the 26 year old. The guilt of keeping such a thing weighs heavy on her heart.

And then there was herself, Pyrrha Nikos. She was firmly in the greenhorn section of the squad, having little experience outside of simulation or war games. Her own primary weapon was the TAR-21 assault rifle, and just like her fellow Nikos the weapons was colored gold and red. On her helmet she wore the sign of the Phoenix Regiment proudly, the great bird of fire rising from the ashes around it made enemies quake in fear and allies rejoice.

Her flowing mane of red hair was stuffed inside her head gear, and the young Nikos carried red tinted goggles very similar to what Amelia constantly wore. Only she didn't wear it outside of combat, and the rest of her gear was colored whatever it needed to be for practicality's sake. Unlike many of her comrades, she didn't want to over personalize her equipment. That would suggest she was a proud killer.

However, Cinder had done one thing right in all of this. A custom made spear capable of turning into a rifle was the one thing Pyrrha was rapidly becoming her pride and joy. The young warrior wouldn't be bringing it into combat just yet, as she wasn't fully confident in her ability to use it when the stress of combat came crashing down on her.

The weapon was pure red, resembling her hair and representing her Nikos heritage. There wasn't a reason to not be proud of the advanced weapon, and in the coming operations she hoped to use it.

* * *

_December 21st, 2117, 2:00 hours_

_The day the Flames Receded_

_Cinder Fall, Underground Facility of unknown location_

This was truly the most dangerous operation she had ordered to date, and with the ambitions she had, that was saying something. In the years since her short tutelage under Ironwood, Cinder had become a strategic master who was capable of testing Port's metal.

Even Ozpin was beginning to fear her mind, rightfully so. She had nearly wrestled Phoenix out from under his nose through some politicking with Goodwitch and a loophole in his paperwork allowing him to order the Regiment around.

He had never been more proud and fearful in one moment.

Cinder had also undergone some enhancements of her own, with her primary excuse being that she needed to be on par with her girlfriend Emerald. Nobody truly believed her, but they couldn't exactly object, and Ozpin hadn't said a word about denying her requests.

And so it was that Cinder Fall became an unofficial member of Echo, if only through mind communication. This had allowed her to connect with the members of Echo she wouldn't have otherwise been able to do.

Even Armatus was loyal to her and her alone; his family and regiment lay forgotten or neglected.

Looking through the cameras installed in each pair of eyes Echo had, Cinder watched the screens with intense interest as the team slowly moved into position.

It wasn't everyday a single team of covert operators assassinated the leader of the faunus, and their military hierarchy, in one strike completely off the books of everyone. Ozpin included. Only Echo's status as war heroes after saving Vale from certain destruction allowed them to move freely about with little questions asked.

_'This is Bismarck, in position.' _

_'Copy. Extraction plan?'_

_'Wingsuit. Jet powered and everything; Cinder really pulled out everything for this.'_

_'No shit Schnee. You realize where we are, right?'_

_'Mercury, cut the crap. You're going to offend the ladies with such crude language!'_

_'Seriously? Blue boy, I don't think some naughty words are going to damage this set of badass females. Especially Emerald. She has quite the badass.' _

Cinder narrowed her eyes at that, but stayed silent.

_'Honestly Mercury, what part of 'I don't like you' don't you understand?'_

_'The whole dislike part. How could ANYONE dislike this exemplary example of man?'_

_'Idunno. Perhaps someone who isn't attracted to men? Dumbass.' _

_'Told ya Neptune. They love the language.' _

_'The day you know more about women than me is the day my hair goes red.' _

_'I take offense to that!'_

_'Look who's joined the party. Gentle giant, how are things on your end?' _

_'Me and Neo are playing Go Fish. She's currently kicking my ass.' _

_'How you can be bad at Go Fish, my muscular friend, will always be a mystery to me.'_

_'And so begins the Neo-Armatus flirt fest.' _

_'Oi! Silver Surfer needs to shut his trap before this Pink Power Ranger puts him in his place.' _

_'...Pink Power Ranger?' _

_'Guys, I'm all for friendly conversation, Gods know we don't get enough of it, but this is a pretty serious situation.' _

_'Such a buzz kill Pyrrha. Not even Neptune can get you drunk, loosen up a little.' _

_'Sorry, but I'd rather keep my dignity intact. Jaune is twice the man you are.' _

_'Ooooooo. Burn! Neo approves!' _

_'I thought you were the Pink Power Ranger?'_

_'Yea, me and Nat are going to morph and kick your ass soon.'_

_'Hey! Don't drag me into this one! Me and Sammy are trying to have a conversation.' _

_'Awwwwww...I thought we were besties!' _

_'Sadly, my pink loving Ranger, Sam Sam has more power over my whims.' _

_'No worries Neo, we still have each other. Do you have any-'_

_'Uuuugh. Why don't you two just fuck already? Seriously, the amount of blushing you two do around each other is ludicrous.' _

_'Shut the fuck up Mercury, you obnoxious prick. At least Neptune has class, you are just another washed up teenager vying for attention.'_

_'Yes. A washed up teen who is on the most well known squad in human history, and can take down five faunus without breaking a sweat in hand to hand. I'm ever so washed up and vacant of purpose. Please, oh gracious Samantha, if anyone here is washed up, it's you.' _

_'Listen here you self-obsessed-'_

_'Everyone, silence of irrelevant conversation. Mercury, you will be reprimanded if you continue to speak.' _

And so William restored order to the growing Chaos that was the 'group chatroom' of their connected minds. This was why she had chosen him to be the leader, with Emerald learning how to lead from him. He didn't sugarcoat anything, kept things impersonal, and got to the point.

He also didn't play favorites, something even she was guilty of.

_'Echo, you have three hours until operation 'Checkmate' is executed. Your extraction is changing location, be at these coordinates once the objective is completed.' _

_'Acknowledged. We won't fail you, madam. You have my word.'_

Cinder smirked. Even the most apathetic of people had a weak spot; William's team just happened to be his soft spot, and she had more than once pulled them out of the political and battlefield frying pan. The few times information had been leaked on the atrocities being committed, the apprentice made master had always been there to ensure Echo was covered from the bad media.

That, and she allowed the members of Echo to operate outside of military jurisdiction. Pyrrha was allowed to speak to her precious boyfriend, something she wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Armatus wouldn't have been allowed in the military without her, the Schnee was being shielded from his family, 'Old Echo' was being given a reason to live on.

The Winchester was the only one she had yet to earn loyalty from, and with good reason. The girl was an anomaly on the team, hardly speaking a word and seemingly impervious to emotional manipulation of any sort. The only person capable of drawing a response out of her was the female Nikos, from her spying on said interactions Cinder knew that the silent soldier only truly cared about her "naive brother and his glory seeking habits".

Sadly, Cinder could do nothing for Cardin. His squad was already down to three members by the time she heard of this development, and she hadn't exactly the resources at the time to do anything even if she had known of this. At the time she was still next to powerless on the political spectrum.

It was only recently that she had gotten freedom from under Ozpin, and just last week that she had been granted more power than her previous mentor. She was now considered Ozpin's boss, and he worked his political magic for her now.

Truly, nothing could have been better timed than that development.

Well. Maybe not. The completion of the prototype that would be extracting her precious Echo was well timed too.

Contrary to popular belief, she did have a heart. Outside of the lab, where she developed horrid weapons of war, Cinder was actually a reasonably pleasant person to associate with. Most didn't out of fear, and she didn't have a problem with that.

The scientist turned leader did legitimately care for her Echo. On some level, they all had an emotional bond to each other. Emerald should have been evidence enough, but some thought she was simply preying on the mind of a younger and extremely naive girl for carnal pleasure.

That thought sent anger coursing through her veins, and the nanobots in her blood pulsed a red, showing off her blood vessels in a brilliant display of light.

What happened between her and Emerald was not anyone's business but hers, how they came to be a couple despite their age difference was irrelevant. Honestly, you'd think in the year 2117 that people would be over the whole 'age gap' thing.

Simple minded fools, the lot of them.

But that was neither here nor there, right now her, dare she call them, friends, were going to be in the most danger they had ever been in during this entire conflict. Closing her eyes and taking a calming breath, Cinder repressed the urge to evacuate her girlfriend of three years from the area.

She loved Emerald, yes, but this was for something greater than the both of them.

_**Transferring feed...**_

_**Bismarck Schnee; Operative 2001. **_

_**All information being accessed is highly classified. Copying or disclosing of any information will end in death.**_

_**Feed successfully connected.**_

Today might end up being the best day of his entire life.

Sure, he was deep in enemy territory, alone, on the top of a skyscraper; but his objective was more than enough to make it worthwhile. All his friends, too, were in danger of losing their lives, but that wasn't anything new.

Well. Not all his teammates were his friends, but that wasn't the point.

For his entire life spent as a sheltered Schnee all those years ago, the only thing Bismarck wanted to do was make a difference. Become known in the books of history for deeds only he knew the motivation behind. Whether he was seen as good or evil, Bismarck wanted one thing and one thing only; recognition.

When his family refused to give him this, he left and went into the military. He was still immensely proud of the achievements his family made, but they were not going to be the ones to propel him to the status he so yearned for.

The military was a place where he could make his mark on history; he knew the political game well and saw the many signs of war long before any other media even suspected such a thing to be possible of happening so soon after their last conflict.

So, he dedicated himself to training endlessly. It paid off, he got onto the already well-known Echo before the war even started. Then he received his enhancements, further cementing his loyalty not to his country, but a certain individual with the name of Cinder.

Then they had their first operation, and when they single handedly infiltrated a faunus military depot then incinerated it with their own munitions, they were hailed as heroes. The destruction of those munitions stalled the faunus advance long enough for the human military to regroup, encircle, and massacre the army that had wreaked havoc for so long.

Cinder, not his family, and certainly not his government, had given him what he so longed for.

Recognition.

He and his team were now the literal poster-children of this war.

They were the heroes.

They were the saviors.

They were famous, and only Cinder's brilliant understanding of warfare allowed for this to happen. Without her insight and intellect, they could have just been ineffectually deployed to some wastelands, never to achieve the fame and glory they were so destined to have.

Well, if it was destiny, then it really didn't matter who was ordering them around...

Lucky for Bismarck that he had more than ten brain cells, and knew when to take those sayings seriously or as the hyperbole they were meant to be. Most people couldn't tell the difference between war fever propaganda and factual representations if the continued support for this war was any indication.

Being both an intellectual and member of a Black Ops team, Bismarck knew well of the moral atrocities committed on both sides of this war. A war fueled by human ambition, paranoia, and aggression. He would give the Nikos family this much; they knew how to keep level heads. His (past) family's leaders caved to the fear and green-lighted this conflict.

Not that the self-exiled Schnee cared. His shot would ensure that humanity, him especially, was going to be on the "right", better known as the winning, side of history. He was quite the amoral person; only those he cared for mattered to him in any capacity when it came to death and killing.

Sure, call him an immoral bastard all you like. That wouldn't stop his bullet from entering your cranium and leaving a stump where your head used to be.

His target was the one and only Benjamin Belladonna, the infamous leader of the United Faunus Nations who had recently risen to power. The rest of the team was to deal with the military hierarchy, who would all be joining him on stage for the climatic unveiling of the newest news from the front.

Humanity wasn't the only species capable of indoctrination.

This shot was going to be rather difficult; being a full 8,000 meters away this was almost the longest shot he'd ever taken. On three other occasions he'd done 8,300, 8,500, and a jaw dropping 9,000 meter shot. That didn't mean that this one was going to be any easier.

Even with his guided ammunition, these shots were hard to pull off.

A ding reverberated through his ear drums, and the Schnee looked through the scope with hardly restrained anticipation.

This was it, this was the day he would gain worldwide recognition and fame. Whether his name was said with reverence, fear, or hatred; it mattered little. What mattered was that his name would be known for changing the world, be it for better or worse.

Seeing his target's raven hair and golden eyes, the Schnee activated the EXACTO systems with his mind and banished all other thoughts from his mind.

None on his team dared utter a word or thought, his mind was completely still and silent.

The crowd stood and gave a resounding applause as the male took to the stage, glass surrounding him in the hopes of absorbing any round that dared come near her precious body. The stage was in a public square, surrounded by towering structures of tinted glass and rising steel.

His opportunity to fire was coming, and that's when he felt it. Deep in his gut, he knew that the EXACTO ammunition wouldn't work. Something was going to malfunction, or perhaps the faunus had the tech to disrupt the electronics inside of the round.

Extracting his EXACTO clip, the fame seeking Schnee loaded anti-material rounds into his sniper. These would disintegrate that glass like child's play, and the rest of Echo was ready to disable the magnetic countermeasures. That and so much more.

He could almost feel Cinder's anxiousness skyrocket at his decision, but she stayed silent.

Taking aim once more, he neutered his ability to hear so he could drown out the speech that was resonating through the streets of New Haven. His target jumped right into dramatic hand motions, enraged body language, and swaying at the podium.

Checking his electronic measurements and calculations, the Schnee waited for the wind to die down before he fired. The Coriolis Effect had already been taken into account, the wind was just moving too quickly to risk the shot right now.

The minutes passed, time bled away and his team continued to wait for his signal.

The wind began to die down, and a female, one the age of a teenager, joined Benjamin on stage. That must be his daughter, Blake Belladonna, but she wasn't his target. Breathing in deep, the assassin steadied his aim to inhuman levels, and then breathed out.

_THOOM!_

_THOOM!_

_THOOM!_

The recoil vibrated his body, but his aim didn't move a centimeter. The moment his first shot left the chamber, three things happened.

The lights of the city turned off, engulfing the city in darkness. With this too went the city's defense network.

Two full seconds later, through the screaming of the dissidents below, flashes of light followed by the sounds of massive explosions rocked the city square.

The lights of the city came back on, and through his scope Bismarck saw just what he had wanted to see.

Blake Belladonna held the mutilated body of her father in her arms, and three entire skyscrapers were falling down to crush the military leaders that were laying down on the stage, all hoping to avoid the wrath of his weapon.

_'Primary target down. Secondary Target's elimination imminent.' _

The falling buildings crushed all in their path, the entire square and all it inhabitants were turned to mush under the weight of the three skyscrapers. Almost the entire faunus military hierarchy was now nothing more than blots of blood and guts on the concrete of their capital city.

His side of the mission was completed, but his other teammates still had one more thing they needed to do. Shouldering his weapon, the Schnee allowed his metal wings that were fitted to his back to emerge, and then jumped right off the building.

Jets fired up, the killer was off before anyone could even think of finding the shooter, let alone perusing the man-sized flying object that rocketed over the panicked streets at absurd speeds.

_**Transferring feed.**_

_**...**_

_**Connected to Pyrrha Nikos, fourth in command chain of Echo. **_

Gunning her armored vehicle through the streets, Pyrrha swerved to dodge a group of pedestrians sprinting across the street as the entire city went into a panic.

"Just run the fuckers over!"

"Shut it Mercury; I'm driving, you shoot."

"Fucking Nikos..."

"Neptune, you ready up there?"

"Hell yea I am! This thing is sweet! I wonder how many babes I could fit in here..."

Ignoring that last comment, Pyrrha glanced over at Natalie to ensure she was ready for this step of the mission. The others had gone through the rigorous task of planting and activating the explosives that rocked the center of the city not more than three minutes ago. They were also the ones who crippled the city's power infrastructure.

It was her squad's job to deactivate the Central Monitoring Hub facility located in the eastern side of New Haven. Once this station was down, Cinder was going to unleash humanity's secret weapon upon the faunus and deal the death blow to the species.

This last resort weapon was being used for one reason and one reason only; humanity was losing. Horribly. Not even Phoenix's deployment and flawless win record could pull the human military from the shambles they lay in. After the first year of the war bled into the second, the faunus unveiled unrivaled military technology.

This tech made their armies nigh invincible for a time, and in that time many human cities were lost. Millions upon millions lost their lives. However, her side hadn't been silent. Suicide missions were given to the most skilled of squads, and the missions were to infiltrate a city and successfully plant Cinder's bio-weapon into the air circulation systems.

After that, the team would immediately detonate the multitude of small bombs they brought designed to spread the virus into the air of the city. With the underground contaminated, and above ground rapidly turning into toxic air, entire faunus cities were turned into ghost-towns, Only corpses populated the area, and none dared go back to the contaminated waste-land like cities.

Even with millions dying in the blink of an eye, the faunus war machine marched on. They marched on Vale, and nearly succeeded. They marched right past Vale when they couldn't conquer and deeper into human territory, killing all in their path.

Only Vale and a few secret population centers remained relatively untouched by the war, and should the faunus attack again, not even Phoenix would be able to stop them.

With no other choice available, Pyrrha found herself in full support of the near genocide that was about to occur. She would see her Jaune again, no matter what, and she would protect her family from those who would kill them simply due to their race.

Their vehicle continued to accelerate towards its target, and was rapidly gaining speed.

An enclosed metal turret with dual .50 cals was mounted on the top of the gunmetal grey SUV. The thing was covered in improvised armor, each plate was both lightweight and beyond capable of taking a bullet without trouble. The making of this metal cost almost as much as a Bullhead, and smuggling in the supplies needed to rig this SUV into the city was no small task to have completed.

The windows were tinted, and was made of the most durable glass man had ever made. The final thing that made this vehicle beyond lethal was its ability to produce a small EMP. All their equipment was made so it could survive the pulse intact, but most standard equipment wasn't.

"Launching sensors."

Putting her window down, Natalie threw five small silver balls out and the team felt the technology meld into their consciousness. The small objects shot off, turning right at the intersection ahead and bolting towards the facility that lie at the end of the road.

Following their example, the plated SUV turned sharply right and sped towards the gate with more than alert guards waiting for any disturbance. The building was a single story, or appeared to be, and had the camouflage of being a "water pumping" station. The concrete structure was a sham, vital information and defenses for the entire faunus species were held within.

From what Pyrrha and her teammates could see, this was poorly manned for such an important structure.

Thirty hostiles in total on the outside, and the gunner with a devastating weapon knew exactly where they all were due to some small silver friends the hovered above. The double barreled machine gun opened up from all the way at the other end of an at least 1,000 meter long road, and picked off the guardians at the gate with ease.

The response was swift; bullets rebounded off the metal and left scratches in the window as more and more guns opened up on the rapidly approaching enemy. Continuing the speed up, Pyrrha closed the distance as Neptune peppered the guard towers with unrelenting fire.

The facility's defenses came online, and it began to rise metal cylinders from the ground to halt the SUV in its tracks. With a simple thought, Pyrrha watched as a blue pulse came from their vehicle and disabled all unprotected electronics in the area.

100 meter away from the walled in objective, Pyrrha gunned right for the closed gate whose locking mechanisms were now null. Blasting through the gate, she forced herself to stop in the center of a courtyard before a staircase that lead to the entrance of the facility.

Fifteen hostiles remaining. Make the thirteen. Before three minutes passed all enemies on the outside of the building were dead, and the small motion detecting orbs shot into the entryway, the glass doors were now shards laying on the cold concrete.

Pyrrha, Natalie, and Mercury all left the armored SUV with Pyrrha hefting a large backpack while Neptune pelted the concrete and glass entryway in an attempt to shoot right through the stone and kill the men and women inside. His efforts were not in vain, and soon bullets were pouring through holes made in the walls.

_'Natalie, collect the intel. Mercury and I will plant the bomb.'_

_'Acknowledged.' _

Sprinting through the friendly fire, the three Echo members readied their respective weapons and pre-aimed their shots. Entering the building, Pyrrha fired a round into the skull of an escaping civilian who was attempting to run down one of the many hallways that eventually lead deep underground. Mercury covered his teammates in practiced synchronization and downed two of the remaining defenders who attempted to return fire from behind overturned wooden desks.

Natalie pumped three shots into a faunus who cowered behind another desk, and the shouldered her weapon as her comrades finished off the remaining guardsmen on the surface level. They didn't need to go far underground, but far enough. Without time to waste the veteran of veterans dashed down a hallway to her right and searched for a mainframe.

_'Left.' _

In combat Mercury didn't argue, and was more than happy to allow Pyrrha to order him around. Following orders the silver loving operator turned left and fired without thinking. Five rounds slammed into a faunus who was preparing to fire into his side, and the woman fell down with blood flying from her chest.

The threats in the area neutralized, Neptune's suppressing fire stopped and he began to setup his own explosives. Pyrrha and Mercury chose one of the many pathways and sprinting through the maze that the silvers orbs scanned then organized for them. An enemy was found to be ready and waiting to ambush them to their right, and with a mental nod Pyrrha allowed Mercury to turn the corner and instantly kill the man with a shot to the jaw.

Moving past the gory mess, the two teammates stopped in the middle of a hallway and planted a small circular breaching explosive to the wall. Each taking a step away, a small pop was heard before a human sized chuck of concrete, metal, and drywall flew back out towards them.

_'Mainframe accessed. Four minutes.' _

_'Copy. Blue, any activity?' _

_'None, the entire city is in disarray. The garrison along with it.' _

Looking through the gap, Pyrrha dropped the thirty feet down with little difficulty. Her enhanced skeletal structure was more than capable of absorbing the impact, and her eyes adjusted to the darkness around her in under a second. The lighting for the sub-levels must be out.

"What the hell was that?!"

Flashlights could be seen moving about, and it was then she noticed she was in a stairwell made of metal. Shouldering her weapon and taking out her precious Miló, the leader of the small squad didn't wait for Mercury to put their escape equipment in place. Instead she aimed and fired through the small holes in the metal stairs. Her three shots pierced the helmets of three mildly clueless faunus two floors down.

They fell with a few thumps, and all was silent except for her pounding footsteps as she sprinted down the steps.

_'Stay there. I only need to go down three more flights.' _

_'Got it. ETA on that intel?'_

_'Hit a few walls, seven more minutes.'_

_'Speed it up if you can. We don't have that time, about to plant the bomb. Once that's done, we have a single minute.' _

_'Got it. Pullin out all the stops here...' _

_**'Click' **_

Doing a 180, Pyrrha was turned and aimed before the poor sap who was trying to kill her could blink twice and pumped three shots into his chest. He collapsed with a gurgle and his gun clattered to the ground as blood dripped through grated metal and splattered the many floors below. Suppressing her feeling of guilt, one that had never gone dwindled in strength since her first kill, Pyrrha finished her very finite decent into the monitoring facility.

Stopping after the sixth level passed, Pyrrha hefted her backpack over her shoulder and got the explosive out of its fabric concealer. Placing the rectangular object it's side, a simple thought caused a small section of metal to peel back, and the young Nikos had a few precious moments to herself to think on just what she was about to do.

She held the fate a faunus and human kind in the palm of her hand. This decision, no matter what she chose, would doom one species to damnation and cause the other to rise.

When this whole conflict started what seemed like an eternity ago, she hadn't been in favor for it, for any of this war, death, famine, despair, suffering. Even now, she wasn't truly for the suffering of others, no matter their race. Not even the horrors of war could change that.

However, people can and do change. Over the course of this war, Pyrrha had seen many things. Things that would blow the minds of lesser people and cripple their will. The faunus military machine was unstoppable, that was one of the first lessons she learned. The next was that now that this war was started, only the utter annihilation of one side would bring an end to it. The hatred, bigotry, bitterness, rage; it had all culminated into a small spark that lit the world on fire and slowly burned it to ashes.

The Empire of Man was a shadow of its former self, only a few cities remained standing, only one truly intact. Billions lie dead, millions more live in poverty and famine and war torn wastelands litter the once serene and beautiful countryside.

The Faunus species was now slowly decaying away, the bio-weapon engineered by Cinder herself was causing genetic degradation and other biological changes that would eventually doom the proud, mighty species to extinction. The contamination of water and air alike was slowly sealing the fate for faunus, and they would slowly, ever so slowly, get sick and fade from existence.

Truly, the world had turning to ash and was now slipping through their fingers. The actions of a few in power had doomed the lives of many, and the support of the ignorant had propelled the flames past the point of no return.

This was their fault; all this death, all this devastation, all this cruelty. It lay heavy on the collective conscious of man as they wait for the day the faunus decide to exterminate them. However, she could change this perceived fate. With the simple typing of a code humanity would survive to live the coming years in a destitute shadow of its former self, but it would live on, for better or for worse.

She would be able to finally see her family again; hug her mother and listen to her father ramble on about the wonder of life.

Her teammates would live on, and their dreams, be they right or wrong, would survive and remain within reach. Old Echo may yet find peace for their weary, tortured hearts.

Emerald and Cinder might finally be a true couple, and be able to live with one another.

Mercury would be able to test his skills against those he deemed worthy as he antagonized those he cared for.

Neo and Armatus might be able to start a family.

Bismarck may yet be welcomed home by his family, and he would have his fame.

Amelia would be able to see her brother again, and never have to worry for his safety, as the war would be won.

Neptune may yet find a girl who could tolerate him, and he might just find it in himself to love one and only one woman.

Most importantly, she would be able to go home and hold Jaune in her arms once more. She would go home and finally marry the man she loved.

So many hopes, so many dreams, so many lives depended on what she chose to do here. In her heart of hearts, Pyrrha knew that humanity deserved the end the faunus were planning for them. Deserved the death and hell that awaited them all in the afterlife for the lives they had taken without cause. For fanatically supporting the massacre of others simply for a vague feeling of security.

Most of all, for deploying that damn virus with callous disregard of the civilians they killed, and for outright murdering them when given the opportunity. Even she was guilty of killing innocents, non-combatants; mainly because she was a spec-ops soldier, and none could know who or what did what they indeed did.

She was just as bad, just as morally corrupted as those she looked down upon.

Yet, she couldn't find it in herself to feel guilty or shame as she put in the four digit code to activate this bomb. She was, ultimately, fighting to protect what she held dear, and she did not hold the faunus species dear to her heart.

In the end, Pyrrha chose to doom many anonymous faces for the few she loved, and nobody can judge her for that.

_**Transferring to Cinder Fall...**_

_**Transfer Complete.**_

_"Echo is away and all members secure. The monitoring station is nothing but ruble and we have the intel."_

Good news, all of it truly outstanding, really, but Cinder couldn't find it in herself to be happy in this moment. On many levels, she was beyond grateful and overjoyed at Emerald's safe return, and was indeed happy none of her Echo had been harmed, but she now had a burden to bear that those on her team could not.

_"Return to Vale; the welcome wagon will be rolled out."_

_"Yes ma'am. ETA two hours."_

_"Circle human airspace until I tell you otherwise."_

_"Acknowledged. 'Eagle' out."_

Her plan had worked; all of it had been executed flawlessly. Her pawns, knights, bishops, and rooks had all played their parts perfectly. Ozpin and Oobleck were running interference with the military and President, she had the codes needed to activate and control the Kratos Weapon system that orbited Remnant. Most importantly, the entire operation that had just been conducted had been done with total secrecy.

Not even the Supreme General knew this had been ordered, and even the President remained ignorant of the event. They didn't approve of the Kratos system's use yet, and through some Roman contacts Cinder got the intelligence she needed to plan this assassination of the people and assets that would ensure the Faunus' continued unification and possible counter to Kratos.

Ozpin remained in the dark as well, he did not know what she intended to do with the interference he was running.

Kratos itself was a series of satellites designed to rain metal rods down upon the surface of the planet, and had only been completed four months ago. In total, this network had enough kinetic energy to obliterate an entire species and turn their cities to dust.

Seeing as those above her wouldn't do what was needed to win, Cinder took it upon herself to do what a true leader would do; take the initiative. This plan was months in the making, and no small amount of bribery, threatening, and intimidation had been used to achieve this end goal.

The loose ends were currently being taken care of, a little fact Echo didn't know and would never know. Not even her girlfriend would know. This was her burden, as leader, to bear; she would bear what was next too, just as she slept soundly at night knowing millions had succumbed to her virus.

Typing into the computer before her, Cinder went into the backdoor she and Ozpin had designed into the satellite network's communications and put in the code needed to authorize her control of the system.

Instantly, countless cybernetic programs reacted to the backdoor activation and locked out everyone but her. Being in control of R&amp;D came with a surprising amount of covert control, and with this one act she would ensure humanity lived on.

Not to say this was for the sake of humanity, this was so she could gain and preserve her power. This was self interest; not philosophy, compassion, or empathy at work. Truly, Cinder only had those qualities available for a select few.

The coordinates entered, the satellites above Remnant opened their jaws and unleashed their payload into orbit, and soon those rods would create craters in the faunus populated cities, extinguishing hundreds of thousands in a single elegant blow and leaving cracked crust where city blocks and skyscrapers used to be.

When the time came a few minutes later, the faunus people had no warning when an apparent earthquake shook their city and rubble was propelled high into the air. Truly, they didn't have much time to think at all, as another rod was right behind it and erased the witnesses from existence.

* * *

_**"...Thinking of peace whilst spilling blood is something that only a human could do..._**To protect something, another must be sacrificed."**_**_ -Madara Uchiha

**As always, reviews are more than welcome. **


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